Privacy settings - chiefly location but....

[chimphappyhour]

Sorry for the odd title but this might even make a good idea for a sticky? (I even think a well written post would be good to sticky on its own w/o bothering with anything else raised here possibly. This will be the first time I'm wading into social media that isn't community based with very well defined boundaries. This though, seems much looser and a little more nebulous.)

Anyone care to make a run down of all of the privacy settings as they understand them? Personally, I'm really foggy on the location services aspect of it but I'm sure someone will come along with questions regarding other parts.

From what I understand, to have the Google+ app on our phones and still be able to use other services like maps, we have to enable location services globally. Seems there is no choice in an app by app basis. (Something I feel Google needs to address in the future.) I'm curious as to how the location info manifests itself in Google+.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Not to be a royal B about this, but honestly if you are using google+ or any social network, you have no privacy. You should expect no privacy. All social networking groups are the opposite of privacy. If you use any social network group, expect every webpage you visit, every thing you buy, your social security numbers, your telephone numbers, you exact location, all your passwords, all your credit card numbers, everything you have ever posted in any thread, and everything you type into your computer to be public knowledge and available to anyone regardless of your privacy settings. As for your questions, you can set the privacy allowances for locations by group. Look under the share options. Set it to who you want to share with. Understand that even if you share only with yourself, you are sharing that information with the world and there is nothing you can do about it. If you want privacy, don't own a social networking account. If anyone with a minor knowledge of computers wanted to find out what you are have online, it would take very little effort. You have no privacy with social networking sites, from the second you start the account, what ever is connected to that site, stays on the site, forever, regardless of what you do. It will never go away, ever. /rant

 

[Phantogenic]

Well said.... @River

Personally I have no qualms about using G+ or having its privacy or location settings on. I live in a small town and work for a company where everyone knows who I am. So whether I post about it or not, someone will know about it.
Aside from that, even if I wanted to remain slightly covert, Google hasn't the foggiest idea where I am as they can never get my location right, not once since signing up. They seem to believe I'm about 5kms away from my actual location.

 

[chimphappyhour]

Ooook. Maybe save your tin foil hat rant for someone else? I really don't want to read it. Not looking to keep secrets from the CIA or FBI here. I operate under the idea that no matter how interesting you think your life is, it's actually pretty boring and most people could care less. That said, I'd just prefer to not give a psycho hose beast anything extra to track me down. I don't really see why Google is thinking we all want to share where we are with the world.

 

[RiverOfIce]

I don't really see why Google is thinking we all want to share where we are with the world.

One more time, because that is what the service does. All social networking sites are created to make sure 100% of all your personal information is sold, kept, and displayed to anyone with the time, money, or interest. If a person really wanted to buy all your information from your networking site, it can be bought, for a very low price.


But don't think this will not come back to bite you.

The whole case against casey anthony was a google search. If request all your data from the social networking site, it will be handed over to them with out questions or warrants. If your gps places you at a crime, regardless of where you really where, expect to be charged with that crime. People have been arrested for buying lighter fluid, tracked by a club card, after their nieghors house as been burned down.

You asked about privacy, you have none, don't expect it.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Well said.... @River

Personally I have no qualms about using G+ or having its privacy or location settings on. I live in a small town and work for a company where everyone knows who I am. So whether I post about it or not, someone will know about it.
Aside from that, even if I wanted to remain slightly covert, Google hasn't the foggiest idea where I am as they can never get my location right, not once since signing up. They seem to believe I'm about 5kms away from my actual location.

Actually the data is not acurate real time, does not mean it can not be post time. The towers and gps can locate you down to about 1 meter at any given time. If you have wifi one, it can be down to the square foot. Police are now starting to request information from social sites by gps locations, which means they are activily searching for you. Do a google search on the london riots.

 

[Slug]

Keep replies civil and on-topic, please.

Posts made via Google + do not share location details by default - you have to specifically tell the app to include your current location if you wish it shared. Likewise automatic Latitude check-ins are only shared with your chosen Latitude friends; auto check-in is (currently) disabled if G+ Circles are selected.

As for a general overview of privacy settings... viewing of everything in your Profile, bar Name and Nickname (if applicable) can be limited to a single Circle or even "Only You". Additionally your Profile can have "Search Visibility" disabled to prevent it appearing in web searches.

 

[chimphappyhour]

Thank you. Google makes it sound like location data is on by default. I never turned on the Latitude option on the Gmaps. Figured if I wanted a friend (or an ex) to know where I was, I'd just text and tell them. The idea always seemed a bit odd to me.