Substitute 'Google" as a proxy for some three letter agency that gets unfettered access to Google's location database and it isn't difficult to join the dots on who really wants to know where everybody is at all times ... once upon a time they called us tinfoil hatters, conspiracy nutz, etc, etc. Then you woke up in a police state, kind of deserve it. On Wed, 2016-09-14 at 11:09 +1200, Peter Reutemann wrote:
'Google, it seems, is very, very interested in knowing where you are at all times. Users have reported battery life issues with the latest Android build, with many pointing the finger at Google Play -- Google's app store -- and its persistent, almost obsessive need to check where you are. Amid complaints that Google Play is always switching on GPS, it appears Google has made it impossible to prevent the app store from tracking your whereabouts unless you completely kill off location tracking for all applications. You can try to deny Google Play access to your handheld's location by opening the Settings app and digging through Apps -> Google Play Store -> Permissions, and flipping the switch for "location." But you'll be told you can't just shut out Google Play services: you have to switch off location services for all apps if you want to block the store from knowing your whereabouts. It's all or nothing, which isn't particularly nice. This is because Google Play services pass on your location to installed apps via an API. The store also sends your whereabouts to Google to process. Google doesn't want you to turn this off.'
-- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/09/13/1634237
Cheers, Peter