Google is facing an increase in police demands for mobile location data



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Many of these requests come from relatively new "geofence" warranties, which require Google to provide location information for each device that has passed through a certain area for a period of time. Initially, Google anonymizes the data, but will provide names and other sensitive information if the police believe that the data matches the behavior of a suspect or a witness.

The location of the history of history is not a secret. It has been available since 2009 and you must give permission before Google starts collecting data. However, people do not necessarily realize that Google keeps information indefinitely or that the story is detailed enough to allow investigators to move from street to street.

More importantly, the increasing dependence of law enforcement authorities on the historical record raises legal and technical issues. The fourth amendment requires limited research and a probable cause, but it has not yet been formally decided whether geo-searched searches meet this standard, even with the limitation process used by Google. Not all police departments will properly seal identification data, which could potentially expose innocent people.

And then there is the unreliability of the information – it only confirms that a phone using Google's account of someone was in the area, not that the person was present. This is not very useful for iPhone owners either, as only some use Google Maps and are less likely to run it at full capacity. Although location data can help police solve difficult cases, they could also blame the wrong people.

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