Google admits tracking users on smartphones despite disabled feature
San Francisco, Aug 18: Google has updated a help page for customers of mobile phones to acknowledge that they still can be tracked for using its Search or Maps services, even if they turn off the phone's tracking feature.
In the help page for the Location History setting, Google clarified, "This setting does not affect other location services on your device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device. Some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps," Xinhua reported.
The Google update came three days after a report of the Associated Press said that several Google apps and websites store user location even if users have turned off Location History.
The latest description of the Google help page is an apparent revision of what the US tech giant has previously stated: "With Location History off, the places you go are no longer stored."
Google has been criticized for tracking users' locations, which could result from its push to make more profits from advertisers who could target more easily a certain group of users with the Google tracking data.
Google's previous statement about Location History could be misleading for users who turned off the tracking feature to show they did not want to be tracked, while the users were not aware that they were still tracked for their movements and locations via other Google services, such as Google Search, Maps, weather updates or browser searches.
Google offers users ways to keep their movements or locations private by disabling the "Web and App Activity" option on their mobile devices.
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Ramzan fasts to begin in India from Thursday
New Delhi (PTI): Ramzan fasts will begin on Thursday in India as the crescent moon marking the start of the fasting month was sighted in various parts of the country on Wednesday.
After the sighting of the moon, the holy month begins and for the next 30 days, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Shahi Imam of Chandni Chowk's Fatehpuri mosque Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmed announced that the crescent moon was sighted and the month of fasting will start from February 19.
Naib Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Shaban Bukhari also declared that the moon was sighted.
During this month, a special prayer called Taraweeh are offered in mosques in the evening. In this prayer, the entire Quran is recited and it continues till the sighting of the Eid moon.
Mufti Mukarram has appealed to the Muslim community to "pray as much as possible for the well-being of the 140 crore people of the country".
