A quick rundown for those on iOS... the CoreLocation framework is the API Apple exposes to developers to access location, and is heavily controlled. However, if you grant permissions for a...
Exemplary
A quick rundown for those on iOS... the CoreLocation framework is the API Apple exposes to developers to access location, and is heavily controlled. However, if you grant permissions for a third-party app to access your locations at any time, then there's effectively no limits or guarantee on where & when your location data is being extracted, and no guarantee that it isn't be sold for advertising purposes.
How to lock down your location on iOS.
Go into Settings > Privacy > Location.
Turn off friend sharing.
Go into "Share my Location". It's okay to leave this enabled, provided your friends and family privileges look correct. This feature is useful for organising a meetup at a particular location. If you see any friends and family who do have access to your location, consider disabling it until needed.
Prevent apps from accessing your location if backgrounded
There's literally no reason why Uber or Facebook need to always see your location. Scroll down, and switch any third party apps' location services privileges from "Always" to "While Using", or "Never". Some first-party system services provided by Apple can be useful to keep constantly enabled. Apple Watch Faces, HomeKit, & Weather are three good examples. The rest can be switched to "While Using" with little loss in overall quality of life.
Apple provides a helpful guide at the bottom of this list detailing the meanings of the location icon arrows beside each service.
Disable system services
Scroll right down to the bottom and tap "System Services". A lot of these should be left on, Cell Network Search, Compass Calibration, Emergency Calls, Find my iPhone, HomeKit, etc. Some of them may present less utility to you, like:
Location-based Alerts. I keep this enabled. This includes driving times to and from work, I find this useful, apple says:
Your iPhone and Apple Watch will use your location in order to provide you with geographically-relevant alerts, such as a reminder to call someone when you get to a specific place, when to leave for your next appointment, or an app recommendation based on where you currently are.
Location-based Apple Ads. I keep this disabled, and frankly don't see why anyone would want it enabled. Apple says:
Your iPhone will send your location, including its travel speed and direction, to Apple in order to provide you with geographically relevant ads on Apple News and in the App Store.
I would prefer Apple discontinue this service, frankly.
Location-Based Suggestions. I also disable this.
The location of your iPhone will be sent to Apple to provide more relevant recommendations.
iPhone Analytics. Kept on.
Popular Near Me. Turn off.
Routing & Traffic. Kept on.
Improving Maps. Kept on.
Delete non-significant locations
Finally, scroll down to "Significant Locations". You can turn this off, but it does help with providing traffic alerts and driving times in addition to the products mentioned above. This section is locked behind TouchID/FaceID. I find it helpful to clear this data from time to time and remove locations which are no longer significant.
It's interesting that the military/government has to get permission to track people like this, meanwhile people knowingly (or more likely unknowingly) let private companies do it for free. We...
It's interesting that the military/government has to get permission to track people like this, meanwhile people knowingly (or more likely unknowingly) let private companies do it for free.
We really need laws preventing this and protecting online/digital privacy.
People often defend practices like this by saying users consented to the collection of their data by agreeing to an app's privacy policy. If Dante's Inferno were updated for modern times then...
People often defend practices like this by saying users consented to the collection of their data by agreeing to an app's privacy policy. If Dante's Inferno were updated for modern times then purgatory would be filled with these people, spending centuries reading and getting quizzed on the EULAs of every piece of software they've ever interacted with.
As more aspects of our lives and our society get moved into digital spaces it becomes unrealistic for individual users to be expected to understand and protect their own privacy. Most people don't have the technical background or knowledge to be able to do this, and even for people who do it can be difficult to avoid the ubiquity of different collection schemes. Various other industries (such as food) have strong consumer protections rather than relying on 'personal responsibility' and 'self-regulation'. Hopefully we can one day move more in that direction for privacy as well.
A quick rundown for those on iOS... the CoreLocation framework is the API Apple exposes to developers to access location, and is heavily controlled. However, if you grant permissions for a third-party app to access your locations at any time, then there's effectively no limits or guarantee on where & when your location data is being extracted, and no guarantee that it isn't be sold for advertising purposes.
How to lock down your location on iOS.
Go into Settings > Privacy > Location.
Turn off friend sharing.
Go into "Share my Location". It's okay to leave this enabled, provided your friends and family privileges look correct. This feature is useful for organising a meetup at a particular location. If you see any friends and family who do have access to your location, consider disabling it until needed.
Prevent apps from accessing your location if backgrounded
There's literally no reason why Uber or Facebook need to always see your location. Scroll down, and switch any third party apps' location services privileges from "Always" to "While Using", or "Never". Some first-party system services provided by Apple can be useful to keep constantly enabled. Apple Watch Faces, HomeKit, & Weather are three good examples. The rest can be switched to "While Using" with little loss in overall quality of life.
Apple provides a helpful guide at the bottom of this list detailing the meanings of the location icon arrows beside each service.
Disable system services
Scroll right down to the bottom and tap "System Services". A lot of these should be left on, Cell Network Search, Compass Calibration, Emergency Calls, Find my iPhone, HomeKit, etc. Some of them may present less utility to you, like:
Location-based Alerts. I keep this enabled. This includes driving times to and from work, I find this useful, apple says:
Location-based Apple Ads. I keep this disabled, and frankly don't see why anyone would want it enabled. Apple says:
I would prefer Apple discontinue this service, frankly.
Location-Based Suggestions. I also disable this.
iPhone Analytics. Kept on.
Popular Near Me. Turn off.
Routing & Traffic. Kept on.
Improving Maps. Kept on.
Delete non-significant locations
Finally, scroll down to "Significant Locations". You can turn this off, but it does help with providing traffic alerts and driving times in addition to the products mentioned above. This section is locked behind TouchID/FaceID. I find it helpful to clear this data from time to time and remove locations which are no longer significant.
It's interesting that the military/government has to get permission to track people like this, meanwhile people knowingly (or more likely unknowingly) let private companies do it for free.
We really need laws preventing this and protecting online/digital privacy.
We're not going to get any such laws. The government would rather figure out how they can get ahold of the data for themselves.
I think they already know how to issue a request + gag order.
People often defend practices like this by saying users consented to the collection of their data by agreeing to an app's privacy policy. If Dante's Inferno were updated for modern times then purgatory would be filled with these people, spending centuries reading and getting quizzed on the EULAs of every piece of software they've ever interacted with.
As more aspects of our lives and our society get moved into digital spaces it becomes unrealistic for individual users to be expected to understand and protect their own privacy. Most people don't have the technical background or knowledge to be able to do this, and even for people who do it can be difficult to avoid the ubiquity of different collection schemes. Various other industries (such as food) have strong consumer protections rather than relying on 'personal responsibility' and 'self-regulation'. Hopefully we can one day move more in that direction for privacy as well.