California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Monday, Dec. 22, released a "consumer alert" regarding location services used by mobile apps.
Harris urged the public to review their smartphone settings and disable location services, remove photo geotagging, and disallow collection of location data in the background.
Location data makes apps convenient, whether it be for driving directions, a local weather forecast or finding a close-by restaurant. But exposing this data can "expose you and your family to risk of theft or physical harm," Harris warned.
"What you may not realize is that some apps can access your location all the time, even when you’re not using them. Your location might be ‘always on,’" Harris wrote.
The Attorney General’s alert provides tips for protecting your privacy when using apps:
Android Phones and Devices
- Go to Settings, then Location and uncheck the boxes. When an app asks for access to your location, you can chose to grant it or not.
- To disable geo-tagging of photos, open the camera and then click on the gear icon and set location to "No." You may have to click the gear icon on several screen layers.
- You can also choose how accurate you want your location reporting to be, whether it is determined based on GPS plus WiFi and cellular networks or just one or the other. The higher degree of accuracy uses more of your battery, so protecting your privacy will protect your battery life too.
- Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Location Services. You can turn it off. Or you can choose which functions and apps to give access to your location.
- To disable geo-tagging of photos, deny location access to the camera, in Location Services.
- You may get notifications from apps asking to use your location in the background. For privacy, select "Don’t Allow.
