Google will automatically remove sensitive locations in Maps timeline

The Google Maps timeline is a handy addition. If you’ve enabled the feature, you can see exactly where you’ve been at what time. Google has now announced that sensitive locations will be removed from the overview.

Sensitive locations from Google Maps timeline

Google has released the news that changes will be made to the Google Maps timeline. The changes affect the information visible in the timeline. A visit to the supermarket will generally not be very special, but a visit to certain sensitive locations such as a domestic violence shelter will be.

According to Google, these are ‘sensitive medical facilities’ that have been removed from the timeline. These include, for example, an abortion clinic, an addiction treatment center, domestic violence shelters, weight loss clinics and cosmetic surgery clinics. Google’s decision appears to relate to recent coverage of abortion bans in the United States. However, this could also be privacy sensitive, so Google has decided to hide this information.

Google does not say whether the information will only be removed in the US, or whether this will apply in more countries.