Google Maps is adopting a new Location History policy, wherein the user's Location Timeline will be saved on-device rather than on Google's servers. In addition, the company announced new encryption tools and auto-delete settings.
Location History is turned off by default, according to Google. However, if users enable this feature, their Location Timeline, containing information about places they visited and when, is saved on Google's servers.
This feature, which Google Maps uses to improve its real-time services, has become a privacy issue, and Google will change how it works.
Starting next year, Google Maps users who choose to record Location History will have their Timeline saved on their devices. And if users want to back up location data to the cloud, Google will automatically encrypt the data so no one — including Google — can read it.
No more Google Maps geofence Police warrants?
This change will reportedly prevent geofence warrants (via Forbes). These warrants allow local and federal authorities to obtain location information from Google about Maps users who happened to be in the vicinity of a crime. It's a controversial tool, and with location data stored on the user's device or encrypted in the cloud, Google will no longer have the capacity to give out this information.
To improve Maps privacy even more, Google says users who will turn on Location History for the first time will have the auto-delete function set to 3 months by default. At the moment, the auto-delete option defaults to 18 months.
Google plans to gradually roll out these changes to the Maps app throughout next year. They'll be available for Maps on Android and iOS.
