Location tracking threatens the privacy and security of all who are subjected to it. However, there are precautions that can be taken to combat this invasion of personal privacy. The simplest way this can be done is to change the settings on your phone so that apps no longer have permission to access a user’s location data. To do this, a user needs to go to the “privacy” section in their settings, then click “location services,” and then a user has the ability to turn off location services for their apps! However, some apps require location services to work, including Google Maps. This technology forum shows Google Maps users who are angry at the fact that they can no longer use Google Maps as a simple map to look up locations. Some find it ridiculous that people do not want a directions app, like Google Maps, to use their location to get where they are going. But don’t be fooled, Google Maps saves your location data forever! This means even when a user does not have the Google Maps app open, their location is still being tracked and saved into Google’s database. Google seems to find a way around any safety method users come up with, however there is a way to protect oneself against Google and their location tracking. Google has created an extremely difficult process to give users the option to opt out of location tracking. As stated before, most people assume that once their location services are turned off, that their location is no longer being tracked. Yet, when it comes to Google, by turning off one’s location history, this does not stop giving Google a user’s location data. Google actually needs a user to turn off its web and app activity toggle to stop the technology giant’s location tracking abilities. To do this, Google makes the steps different depending on if one is using a computer or a mobile device. To begin, to disable web and app activity on a computer, a user must first open their google  account, then head to the “data and personalization” tab. From there, click on the “web and app activity” button, then turn the blue toggle to “off.” Google will send a pop-up to make sure this is what a user wants to do because by turning this off it will “limit their experience.” Click yes on this pop-up! To turn off web and app activity on a mobile device, head to “settings,” then click on “accounts and privacy.” Next select, “Google activity controls,” which bring you to the “web and app activity” button. Select that and then click “off.” This is several steps to disable a feature that invades the privacy of its users. Google constantly deceives users of what their features truly do. Not only is it a lengthy process, but by making the instructions to disable different via computer or mobile device, this creates confusion and more likelihood that a user will not disable both. They also do not provide a clear description of what web and app activity does until a user reaches a web page deep into the settings. Until then it is described as, “giving you faster searches, better recommendations, and more personalized experiences.” By turning this feature off, users take one step in the right direction of freeing themselves from Google. 

Turning off one toggle doesn’t free a person from location tracking forever, this is why another important way to protect oneself is to stay updated on the newest tricks that big data uses on its users. Reliable ways to do this can be found on a variety of data protection organizations such as The EFF, which provides helpful tips on what companies are doing that users may not have noticed or protective add-ons to help keep your browsing protected. For example, when I clicked on the EFF website, it alerted me that Twitter had recently removed its privacy option. It also gave me an article that tells me how this change will now allow twitter to share additional data with business partners. Knowing information like this is critical in knowing how to defend oneself from any type of data tracking because if a user does know changes that are being made to websites, then their past defense tactics will constantly go out of date. Another website that provides useful information is Privacy International. This organization not only provides users with news on what is going on with big data, but creates campaigns against big data as well. One of its current campaigns fights against the tech companies intrusive solutions to COVID-19.  The campaign includes signing up for email updates of the situation and what its doing to keep users actively in the know about the specific situation the campaign is fighting against. It also gives a list of topics that users can click on to give articles that can further educate users on relevant issues to the campaign. For the COVID-19 specific campaign, one topic is direct access by government which gives articles and information on how governments have used data as a power grab in the past. Big data is always updating their tricks, so being on top of what they are doing so users can combat it is the beginning of any defensive solution.