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Google Maps, like Google Search, is a great tool. But, it’s not “free”- the price of using it, or anything else Google, is your privacy. Once we learned just how intrusive Google is in all its functions, we abandoned Chrome, Search, Gmail, YouTube, and all other Google apps.
But don’t take my word for it- https://www.howtogeek.com/711988/a-private-alternative-to-google-maps-duckduckgo-maps/
From the HowToGeek article:
It’s also more difficult to use DuckDuckGo Maps for navigation, since there is no support for turn-by-turn directions…
For me, this is one of the most valuable aspects of a GPS system. Without it, I’m more likely to take the wrong turn at the wrong time. If this is not available, then the value of the app goes down accordingly.
I would be willing to pay good money to Google (or, more likely, to somebody–anybody–else) for a navigation app that did not keep track of me and my movements.
But, it’s not “free”- the price of using it, or anything else Google, is your privacy.
That is the price you pay for anything “free”, not just Google.
There is nothing out there even close to Google Maps in features. For navigation there is Waze. (which is part of Google).
Thaks for this article, its important to protect privacy. Privacy focused apps are not that good as those fromm google. I consider that as a fact. I use DDG searching too, but sometimes I must use google, because DDG does not find what Im looking for. Sadly, maybe its the personalisation, that brings me more relevant results.
I was also astounded, when czech government came with the map, how people are meeting each other during the pandemic. It was scary, but they stated, that data are from people, who did not turn the sharing option off.
I am still convinced, that your data are not personalized, if you wont allow your apps to collect your data. For me, google is still leader in “free apps”. Because even if you pay money to other technological giants (Apple, Microsoft), they still collect your data. At least google is for free.
My reply to @Slowpoke47 is, that you can still put the telephone in the drawer and let it rest there. Its your choice to have it all the time with you. Its not mandatory to have a mobile phone and be available 24/7. At work its nesscessary, but your free time is YOUR free time. Do as YOU want. You can still buy Nokia 105 without smart functions. It works too! And paper maps still exist for travelling in the woods! Or you can simply download offline maps into mobile phone and turn off 4G data while travelling! GPS is one-way and GPS does not track you.
I would be willing to pay good money to Google (or, more likely, to somebody–anybody–else) for a navigation app that did not keep track of me and my movements.
I would like to disagree. You must turn the tracking on to see your movement in the past. Or do you think, its recorded still, but it does not show it? I dont know, I can only guess.
Dell Latitude 3420, Intel Core i7 @ 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, W10 22H2 Enterprise
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I would be willing to pay good money to Google (or, more likely, to somebody–anybody–else) for a navigation app that did not keep track of me and my movements.
That is easy. Use offline maps, even with Google maps. Any online navigation app SHOULD track you in order to function.
You can always log to your Google profile and block/erase all history data…
In spite of appearances, Google will not allow you to delete all your info or web history.
I don’t want Google collecting anything about me even if I never see an ad. Ads are the least of my concern. I simply do not want my data in anyone’s hands. Data that was never collected can never harm me, but data that was collected definitely can.
Google Maps with offline data is a no-go, as I will not permit any Google Apps on my device. Like Paul, I have had good results with Here WeGo, a dumb name for a good mapping program.
I previously bought a lifetime license to TomTom on Android, many years ago, only to find that they apparently expected me to die within 2 or 3 years. That was when “lifetime” ended, and the app was discontinued in favor of their newer one with a subscription model. The old one still works, if you’re willing to keep using the same non-updated maps and an app that won’t run on anything from the last 5 years or more. Which I am, actually; that tablet has no cellular connection, so as long as it is offline, Google gets nothing. It’s just a GPS device with old maps at this point. Needless to say, TomTom will never see a cent from me again.
As for the data deletion… Google has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar a few too many times for me to think they really have any intention of showing or deleting ALL of the data they have on any one person. They delete the part where you can see some of it, sure. I don’t think they see any compelling reason to actually delete it all. If it ever came to that, they know they can flim-flam government officials and claim “oops, bug” if they get caught yet again, and the odds that some outside auditor is ever going to go into Google’s army of servers and find data that they’re not supposed to have kept are pretty much zero.
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I have always been somewhat concerned about online privacy, but my eyes have been opened further as I read “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff, a professor emerita of Harvard Business School who has made the subject a major focus of her research. I’m about 2/3 through the 500+ pages, not quick or easy reading, but nonetheless chilling.
Eric Schmidt, long associated with Google, is on record as having said he looks forward to the day in the near future when anyone who uses the Internet will be matched to a personal database, available to be bought and sold among online marketers. Google has developed algorithms that can discern a person’s identity from monitored activity well beyond a mere IP address. This profile is assembled using tracking functions on all Google apps. For example, if you use Gmail, as I once did, every message you send or receive now resides verbatim in Google’s memory. Think of the personal info extractable from that source!
Google is also experimenting with moving from passive data collecting to actively influencing user actions. So far, only a little success here, but gaining.
If you use Alexa, it amounts to a 24/7 ear listening and transmitting anything it hears to Amazon. Same deal, AFAIK, with Siri. Facebook combs postings for scraps of data that can be ascribed to a particular user. And, of course, MS, via W10, does likewise. And, once these profiles are assembled, they, like anything else online, can be hacked. Bank accounts, anyone?
These sites have grown fabulously wealthy with these efforts, conducted within a lack of any sort of government regulation. It’s only recently, within the last year or so, that the world is awakening to all this, and there are lawsuits filed or pending both here in the US and in Europe. Of course, these suits if successful will hit the perps right in the kneecaps, so they are doing whatever they can to preserve the status quo.
While I do not need and do not use anything Google-related, Google trackers can be planted in your computer as hitchhikers with other sites you visit. I suggest checking (In FireFox, Preferences>Privacy and Security) and removing site-added data. Also set F/F to delete data on closing. This will still allow the occasional Google-related tracker to slip by, but you can also instruct F/F to disallow these as well.
At the very least, be aware that these sites are looking over your shoulder, and manage your activities accordingly.
Have you seen Black Mirror series? Its quite scary series, although its not “real horror” with blood or chainsaws.. Its how technology changes people.
Google is also experimenting with moving from passive data collecting to actively influencing user actions. So far, only a little success here, but gaining.
I think Microsoft is trying too. In the AlphaGo movie, they say that lot of small changes happening often will influence people. And can be used to train AI too.
This is called micromanagement – we see it all around us today. Small sneaky changes, that will force you to do things, you thought you will never do. For example in the sake of our health (corona) – that is good example. Slowly tighten the screw, so nobody will notice.
Thank you for the tip for the book, I see I can purchase it here too.
Its a shame, that lot of people do not know, that they are influenced like this. That their data are used for marketing and that Google or whoever knows everything about their activity and lives. This is all happening “behind the scenes”, future will reveal the truth, but it will take some time. In the meantime, stay safe and take care!
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Thank you for the tip for the book, I see I can purchase it here too.
As an inveterate cheapskate, I borrowed it from my local library. (No charge, but we donate to our excellent library every year.)
We us Garmin Drive Global Positioning System units in our vehicles for real-time directions while driving.
The only time our GPS units are connected to a computer is for map updates and we delete all driving and other history from the units prior to installing updates. And at no time are our units connected to a cellular network.
In addition to providing real time driving directions here in the United States, the units provide traffic notifications, assistance in choosing what lane to be in, the speed limit on road being traveled, and driver alerts for things like sharp curves, school zones, as well as red light camera warnings.
We can also set it up to provide directions that avoid tolls, etc.
And we can talk to it. We can enter destination locations using voice commands.
If we want to connect it to a smart phone, we can also receive weather and parking information.
Here’s the next chapter in Google’s snooping: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/03/20/stop-using-google-chrome-on-apple-iphone-12-pro-max-ipad-and-macbook-pro/
Glad to have left Chrome several years ago. This whole privacy issue has become a battle of Internet giants vs. governments, and the governments are being steamrolled.
This is not new at all. It is only an issue now because of all the overreach by Big Tech, and that the non-tech media is actually covering it. The governments, while seemingly opposed, actually benefit and routinely request via subpoena or other methods the data for identified targets of interest.
You have Ring doorbells collecting massive amounts of video of people just walking by. Cars capture data via Bluetooth connected devices and newer cars have dictation controlled devices and use Bluetooth to ‘read’ your car when you pull into the service bay, or record data in the ‘Black Boxes’ that monitor driving activity like airplanes do. Some states capture tolling responders even on non-toll roads.
However, the vast amount of information is provided by individuals for convenience, only to discover Facebook posts being an issue in a job interview.
As little as 5 years ago if you had conversations about privacy you were considered in ‘tinfoil hat’ territory. 10 years ago people said it was paranoia, impossible, or said they already know all of that about me so why resist.
From history come many quotes. This is one that rings close, “The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.” ~~ George Orwell
Hm. I think the governments are pretty much okay with all of it, but they put on a show to make it seem like they’re trying to control the internet giants.
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From my (limited) perspective, looks like governments are no match for the likes of Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and the like. Those Internet giants are apparently superior technically and fill in the gaps with stalling and b.s. Their motivation is clear- these tactics have generated billions for the perps.
Thanks Slowpoke47 for making this topic and bringing all this info. to light. I use DuckDuckGo to do most online searching, keep my cellphone turned completely off all the time and only turn it on when I need to use it which is mostly for emergency or convenience use when I’m out & about town.
I do not have a GPS unit in my car (that I know of) and I use maps to go somewhere new that I haven’t already memorized the directions to. If I get lost I stop at a gas station and ask for directions. Imagine that, and I’m a guy! I even go as far as to cut my name, address, and bar code from all mail I plan to toss in the trash or recycle. Yes, I get a bit more paranoid with each passing year.
DuckDuckGo puts out a weekly email bulletin on Internet privacy. For those interested, their signup is https://duckduckgo.com/newsletter
It’s only relatively recently that this whole issue has been recognized- but it’s been hiding in plain sight.
DuckDuckGo’s search results doesn’t come near the quality of Google’s search results and I don’t care much about Google’s data scrapping as I have opt-out from every data-scrapping feature in my Google profile and never seen an online, mail.. ads, in the last 10 years.
What I do have a problem with, however, is to have sites like Google looking over my shoulder while I’m online. There is ample documentation of Google’s talking the talk re scarfing personal info but in truth not really allowing opt-outs. Think about it- this is the source of their income and wealth- they’re fighting tooth and nail (and so far winning) to keep the status quo.
As I said, I have no problem with Google ‘looking over my shoulder’ (I use Chrome as my default browse on Windows and iOS, Gmail, Waze and Google search) as Google doesn’t get 1c from me (no ads at all).
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned MAPS.ME, a great free app which I use whenever I travel. You can download maps for the country you want and use them offline. I never use Google maps.
Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie
I use Here WeGo on my phone for offline navigation when travelling. Free and easy.
cheers, Paul
Oh noooo. It used to be brilliant but it seems that they have been bought out (by an international payments company?) and the new owners have changed it and stuffed it totally. What with Covid I haven’t used it for more than a year so I wasn’t aware of the change. Don’t worry, I won’t shoot the messenger 
Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie
I doubt that Google actually deletes the data they have on anyone. All we know is that they delete the stuff they let you see.
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