Google Maps' Timeline feature tracks users' locations over time to summarize places visited. While useful, it raises privacy concerns as location data is permanently stored and potentially accessible to hackers. Users can delete specific location histories, pause tracking, or disable GPS, but doing so also limits Maps functionality. Reviews on Maps provide useful feedback but can include false information, and users tend to give more attention to negative reviews.
2. GOOGLE TIMELINE – WHAT IS IT?
This feature is been on the android devices since 2015. Under the main menu after launching Google Maps, you
can see the prompt for “Your Timeline.”
● It helps to track the places you’ve visited over the days, weeks, or even months.
● The history will not only show the places you have visited but also the distance you traveled and how long it
took you to arrive from point to point.
● At the top of each day, you’ll find a summary of the distance traveled by walking, bicycling, driving, etc.
● Timeline is private, so only you can see it.
● Furthermore, at the end of each month, Google can email you a overview of all the places you visited over
the course of the last 30 days.
● It allows you to customize the data and even allow you to delete any history within the timeline.
GOOGLE MAPS
3. GOOGLE TIMELINE - CONCERNS
Even with so many advantages, Google Map has multiple downsides too.
• Use by Criminals - Street View images can spot belongings momentarily exposed through windows or open doors.
• Burglars have used Street View and satellite images to find affluent neighborhoods or homes that are easy to break into,
or to identify parked cars that might contain expensive possessions.
• Irrelevant Content - Such as street signs are not clear, and it shows blur images of the building due to privacy concerns.
• Too slow to Load - The Google Map shows the larger image and due to this, it takes a lot of time to upload the searched
location with an image. Doe not work in offline mode.
• Limited Accuracy - Ambiguities and flaws in location data may produce a route that doesn't take you to the destination
you expect.
• Google Maps does not have up-to-the-minute information on unusual conditions, such as roads damaged by weather,
blocked by street fairs or altered by recent construction work.
• Some remote locations may not be in Google Maps.
• Offensive and Shocking Material - The extra information that Google Maps provides, including Street View images and
material from the public, sometimes has content Google has to remove.
• Disturbing images and off-color and even racist public comments and references have appeared on the maps themselves.
GOOGLE MAPS
4. GOOGLE TIMELINE - CONCERNS
• Google Timeline is an innovative and useful feature for Maps users—as long as you’re comfortable with Google tracking
your every move.
• Having your location permanently stored in the cloud might not be the safest thing to do. A skilled thief might be able to
access your data and learn when you are not home, making you a target for property theft.
• An important thing to keep in mind is turning off location tracking for the Timeline feature doesn’t stop Google from
accessing your location altogether.
• Your location will still be used for directional purposes and for
Google searches.
• Google builds advertising information out of this data, More data
for them presumably means more profit.
• You can delete these location markers by hand, but it’s a
painstaking process since you have to select them individually,
unless you want to delete all of your stored activity.
• Amazing or Creepy?
Do you consider it a violation of privacy, or is it an awesome feature
that takes us one step closer to science fiction?
“I am not opposed to background location tracking in principle, It just really bothers me that it is not explicitly stated.”
5. GOOGLE TIMELINE – THE SOLUTION
The most simplest way is to delete location history under location settings
The feature can also be temporarily disabled and that period of time will
not be saved in the history
The only way to completely block your location from being shared is to
deactivate your device’s GPS tracking
6. SOLUTION ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Delete google
location history
The location data will not fall in the wrong
hands if the phone is lost except Google
does not keep the backup of all records in
there data centres.
The location data was used for
user personalization. It was used
to share nearby famous spots in
the future.
Pause the
Google location
tracking
If the user is going for private meetings or
vacations , then this the best option.
The location will still be used for
directional purposes and for
Google searches.
Disable the GPS
tracking
The devices will be completely untraceable
by the application providers like Google and
Apple
Unfortunately, many applications
rely on GPS to work correctly and
this may not be a realistic
strategy.
7. GOOGLE MAP REVIEW &
HOW IT WORKS
Users easily get idea about technical faults of Google map from other users review. Like-
From Google Playstore
From Social Media Platforms
From offline friends and relatives
8. Results:
Saves ourPrecious time
Users reviewinspire developer to improvemore
Hence weget the smoother experience
CountrylikePalestine came to notice ,and planned to includein
the Google Map
Users reviewinspire developerto improvemore
Hence we get the smoother experience
9. GOOGLE REVIEWS- THE DISADVANTAGES
● False Reviews: it is quite easy for anyone to post
a fake review and get away with it. It is usually done
by competitors and ex-employees. These fake
reviews can harm your business significantly.
● People Want To Read Negative Reviews: Yes, a
study revealed that customers are more likely to
post bad experiences, compared to good
experiences. Unfortunately, a potential customer
tends to read negative reviews compared to positive
ones.
10. CONCLUSION
• Maps were first created by humans with the simple idea of
helping people navigate and reach their destination.
• Although google maps makes it easy for us to explore our
surrounding, it does it at the cost of our privacy. Privacy of our
location, habits, preferences and data.
• Google maps surely does make the world a smaller place, but it
should not misuse the power of A.I and machine learning to
constantly monitor all our movements.
• The use ofadvanced technology and algorithms which help us in
suggesting various places along our journey with the help of our
data should be users choice. Everyone might not require those
suggestions and with this feature they could atleast be assured
that their data only belongs to them.
• Not all reviews are genuine hence, reviews should be monitored
more carefully and not left in the hands of algorithms to decide.
11. • Google doesn’t care whether a reviewer is a real customer, or about
what happens to your business as a result of false and inappropriate
reviews.
• Reporting a flase review just once doesn’t work and ratings-only
reviews stick more than they should. Hence, the need to bring the
ability to upvote or downvte a review is required, so that the reviews
can be cross-verified by others.
• Google maps reviews are often bought by the buissneses to drive up
their sales and there is no penalty on those who bought it. There
should be more strict policies overlooking these malpractisces.