Comprehension
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
San Francisco August 13 2018
Google wants to know where you go so badly that it records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to. An Associated Press investigation found that many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store your location data even if you've used privacy settings that say they will prevent it from doing so. Computer science researchers at Princeton confirmed these findings at the AP's request. For the most part,
Google is upfront about asking permission to use your location information. An app like Google Maps will remind you to allow access to location if you use it for navigating. If you agree to let it record your location over time, Google Maps will display that history for you in a "timeline" that maps out your daily movements. Storing your minute-by—minute travels carries privacy risks and has been used by police to determine the
location of suspects - such as a warrant that police in North Carolina, served on Google last year to find devices near a murder scene. So the company will let you "pause' a setting called Location History. Google says this will prevent the company from remembering where you have been. Google’s support page on the subject states. "You can turn off Location History at any time. With Location History off, the places you go
are no longer stored”. That isn’t true. Even with Location History paused, some Google apps automatically store time — stamped location data without asking. For example, Google stores a snapshot of where you are when you merely open its Maps app. Automatic daily weather updates on Android phones pinpoint roughly where you are. And some searches that have nothing to do with location, like “chocolate chip cookies" or
"kids science kits," pinpoint your precise latitude and longitude — accurate to the square foot and save it to the Google account. The privacy issue affects some two billion users of devices that run Google's Android operating software and hundreds of millions of world wide iPhone users who rely on Google for maps or search. Storing location data in violation of a user’s preferences is wrong, said Ionathon Mayer, a Princeton
computer scientist. A researcher from Mayer’s lab confirmed the AP's findings; the AP conducted its own tests on several iPhones that found the same behaviour. “If you are going to allow users to turn off something called ‘Location History‘, then all the places where you maintain ‘Location History' should be turned off," Mayer said. "That seems like a pretty straightforward position to have”. Google says it is being
perfectly clear. "There are a number of different ways that Google may use location to improve people’s experience, including: Location History, Web and App activity and through device-level Location Services" a Google spokesperson said. "We provide clear descriptions of these tools, and robust controls, so people can turn them on and off, and delete their histories at any time." To stop Google from saving these location
markers, the company says, users can turn off another setting, one that does not specifically reference location information. Called "Web and App activity" and enabled by default, that setting stores a variety of information from Google apps and websites to your Google account. When paused, it will prevent activity on any device from being saved to your account But leaving "Web and App activity” on and turning "Location
History" off only prevents Google from adding your movements to the "timeline", its visualization of your daily travels. It does not stop Google’s collection of other location markers.
Question: 1

For the most part, Google is upfront about asking permission to use your location information. This sentence means:

Updated On: Sep 1, 2025
  • Google is not secretive about recording your movements
  • Google is tracking your movements even if you don't want it to
  • Google is quite candid about asking you to allow it to show you where you are located
  • None of the option is correct
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Identify the sentence in the passage → The passage states, “For the most part, Google is upfront about asking permission to use your location information.” This is found in the early part of the article when explaining how Google services request access to location.
Step 2: Break down the phrase “upfront” → The word “upfront” in this context means open, candid, and transparent. It conveys that Google does not try to hide the fact that it wants to collect location information from its users.
Step 3: Connect to practical examples → The passage explains that apps like Google Maps directly request permission from the user before using location data, especially when navigating. It even reminds users to enable location if they wish to use the service fully.
Step 4: Interpret the meaning → Thus, the sentence means that Google is usually clear and direct about asking users to give permission so that it can provide services like showing where they are located or mapping their movements.
Step 5: Apply reasoning to the correct answer → The explanation aligns with the given correct answer, which highlights that Google is “candid about asking you to allow it to show you where you are located.” This captures both the openness of the request and the purpose behind it (showing your location).
Step 6: Apply formatting rule → The final answer must be presented exactly as instructed in one clear string inside the div.
FinalAnswer:Google is quite candid about asking you to allow it to show you where you are located
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Question: 2

When the author says : ‘That isn't true' to Google's claim that "you can turn off Location History at any time....and the places you go are no longer stored" ...he means

Updated On: Sep 1, 2025
  • Although google declares that the places are no longer stored, they automatically store time stamped location data without asking.
  • Google asks permission every time it stores data
  • Google tracks your movements and tells you about it
  • The author is paranoid.
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Identify the claim being questioned → Google’s support page stated that if you turn off “Location History,” then “the places you go are no longer stored.” This suggests that users would believe their movements are not being tracked anymore.
Step 2: Focus on the author’s response → The article immediately follows that claim with the phrase “That isn’t true,” directly challenging Google’s statement.
Step 3: Explain why it isn’t true → The investigation found that even with “Location History” turned off, Google services such as Maps, daily weather updates, or even unrelated searches still store time-stamped location data without explicitly asking for permission.
Step 4: Provide concrete examples from the passage → For instance, opening the Maps app records your location, weather updates detect where you are, and even searching for something like “chocolate chip cookies” can log precise coordinates—contradicting Google’s claim that places are no longer stored.
Step 5: Interpretation of the author’s intent → When the author says “That isn’t true,” he is emphasizing that Google’s public statement is misleading because in practice, location markers continue to be saved automatically, even against user expectations.
Step 6: Apply formatting rule → The final answer must be presented concisely in the required no-space-free format inside the div.
FinalAnswer:Although google declares that the places are no longer stored, they automatically store time stamped location data without asking.
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Question: 3

How many users does the privacy issue affect?

Updated On: Sep 2, 2025
  • Half the world population
  • Two billion users and hundreds of millions of iPhone users
  • Data not available
  • Everyone who owns a phone
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Identify the focus of the question → The passage describes how Google continues to store location data even when “Location History” is turned off, and it specifies how many users are affected by this privacy issue.
Step 2: Locate the relevant part in the passage → The article explicitly states that “The privacy issue affects some two billion users of devices that run Google’s Android operating software and hundreds of millions of worldwide iPhone users who rely on Google for maps or search.”
Step 3: Break down the numbers → This means the affected group includes:
- Around two billion people using Android devices.
- Additionally, hundreds of millions of iPhone users who depend on Google services.
Step 4: Interpret the significance → These figures show that the issue is massive in scale, spanning billions of users across both Android and iOS platforms, making it a truly global privacy concern.
Step 5: Apply the formatting rule → The final answer must be presented inside the div exactly as required.
FinalAnswer:Two billion users and hundreds of millions of iPhone users
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Question: 4

What does the author mean when he says: ‘It does not stop Google’s collection of other location markers?

Updated On: Sep 2, 2025
  • Google only informs you of your location
  • If Location history is off, Google does not collect the location markers
  • If you leave 'Web and App Activity‘ on and turn ‘Location History’ off, Google can still collect the location markers
  • None of the option is correct
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Identify the context → The author is discussing the difference between two Google settings: “Location History” and “Web and App Activity.” Many users believe turning off “Location History” is enough to stop all location tracking.
Step 2: Recall the key explanation → The passage clarifies that turning off “Location History” only prevents your movements from being shown in the “timeline” feature. However, it does not stop Google from recording other types of location data.
Step 3: Highlight the role of “Web and App Activity” → If “Web and App Activity” is still enabled (which it is by default), Google can continue collecting time-stamped location markers from searches, Maps usage, and even weather updates, regardless of the Location History setting.
Step 4: Interpret the author’s statement → When the author says, “It does not stop Google’s collection of other location markers,” he means that Google still stores detailed location information under a different setting even if you think you have disabled tracking by turning off “Location History.”
Step 5: Apply the formatting rule → The final answer must be given clearly in one string inside the div as instructed.
FinalAnswer:I f you leave 'Web and App Activity‘ on and turn ‘Location History’ off, Google can still collect the location markers
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Question: 5

An appropriate title to this passage would be:

Updated On: Sep 3, 2025
  • Android iPhones and Google
  • Google snapshot
  • Google tracks you, with or without your permission
  • Smart phones are a boon
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Identify the main theme of the passage → The article revolves around how Google continues to collect and store users’ location data even when they explicitly try to disable tracking through the “Location History” setting.
Step 2: Review supporting evidence → The Associated Press investigation, confirmed by Princeton researchers, shows that Google apps like Maps, weather updates, and even unrelated searches can still record precise location markers despite user preferences.
Step 3: Understand the author’s perspective → The passage presents a critical view of Google’s practices, highlighting the contradiction between Google’s public claims and its actual behavior regarding privacy and data collection.
Step 4: Title selection criteria → A good title should summarize the key issue (Google’s tracking), highlight the element of user consent being ignored, and capture the overall message in a sharp and direct way.
Step 5: Match with the provided correct answer → The suggested title “Google tracks you, with or without your permission” fits perfectly because it conveys both the fact (Google tracks users) and the controversy (doing so even when permission is denied).
Step 6: Apply the formatting rule → The final answer must be given inside the div, exactly as required.
FinalAnswer:Google tracks you, with or without your permission
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