Every smartphone contains a trove of location data, eagerly shared for conveniences like tracking a food delivery or finding nearby restaurants. But this data can also be used to track you with alarming precision, even in a crowd. Despite its potential for intrusion, this technology is often marketed as convenient rather than creepy.
What’s an acceptable level of online surveillance? Many of us might assume the ideal is none. Privacy advocates push to limit the information we share, and laptops now come with built-in webcam covers. Recently, Microsoft retracted plans for a feature that took screenshots of users’ computers every five seconds to train AI. Yet, location-tracking apps like Life360 are still downloaded voluntarily.
If You’re Already Being Tracked, Why Not Share It?
The popularity of location tracking varies by age. Personally, I dislike being watched, finding my movements too mundane to share. A quick survey of friends in their 40s and older revealed either ignorance or disinterest in phone-based tracking. One friend likened being a dot on someone’s map to dystopian implants.
However, younger friends seem to embrace tracking. My 29-year-old cousin, for instance, has his girlfriend’s location as his phone’s lock screen and neither finds this unsettling. They say it makes them feel safer.
This isn’t due to a lack of awareness about online privacy. They understand the reality of limited privacy in the digital age. With smartphones inherently tracking our locations for features like maps, why not share this data with trusted people? After all, turning off these features doesn’t guarantee privacy, as evidenced by Google’s $93 million settlement over accusations of collecting location data even when settings were disabled.
Location sharing has been around for over a decade. Apple’s Find My app started in 2010 for locating lost phones and later expanded to friend tracking. Facebook’s Places and startups like Foursquare also emerged around this time. Snapchat’s location-sharing virtual Map, launched in 2017, made tracking seem like harmless fun, with friends appearing as smiling Bitmojis.
Tracking Etiquette
There are social norms for tracking. It’s acceptable to use tracking to ensure a friend gets home safely but not to surprise them on the street. Share your location with family and close friends only, avoiding new acquaintances. Ending location sharing is akin to removing someone from photos – it can be a sensitive issue.
I asked my cousin if tracking etiquette is like phone call etiquette – we can call anytime but generally respect privacy. However, this analogy fell flat, as he and his friends prefer tracking to making calls.
To Track or Not to Track?
Tracking for safety, especially for elderly parents and children, is tempting but risky. It could normalize extensive personal data sharing, possibly extending to employers or government agencies. Geospatial data can also modify behavior. A study by the University of California San Diego’s Department of Psychiatry found that up to half of U.S. families use some form of tracking, which can influence children’s behavior simply by knowing they’re being watched.
We are all subject to this pressure. The internet is often likened to a panopticon, with our activities constantly monitored by online companies. By tracking each other, we reinforce this surveillance model, giving it even more power.
