Google Maps / Street View Tracking Where You Go, Reports Claim; How to Turn it Off

In thie file photo, Google co-founders Larry Page, left, and Sergey Brin pose for photos at their company's headquarters The search giant reported 2014 earnings with a $66 billion revenue in total, of which $18.1 billion was profit or income before taxes. (Ben Margot/AP Photo, File)

Google Maps has apparently been tracking cell phones, according to a report.

The firm’s location tracking site can show exactly where a person and their cell phone has been by breaking down the locations it shows by day.

According to Vox, the “tech giant aware of users’ locations, but it’s also keeping a detailed record.”

However, it’s simple to turn off the location tracking ability on one’s phone. Google has instructions on how to do it on its website.

“Google Settings (in your device’s apps menu) allows you to manage location access for Google apps. You can also turn Location Reporting and Location History on and off in Google Settings, as well as view Location History on a mobile device or computer using the Account History website,” it says.

 

 

AP update: Amazon to buy video game streaming platform Twitch 
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is hoping to become the ESPN of video games.

The e-commerce giant is buying streaming platform Twitch Interactive for $970 million in cash as it seeks to take part in video gaming’s growth as an online spectator sport.

Twitch is a multi-channel online network built for a generation of people who not only enjoy playing video games, but find it entertaining to watch others who might impart tricks and tips for excelling at their favorite games.

Amazon’s purchase is an acknowledgment that gameplay video feeds are increasingly lucrative. Twitch had 55 million unique visitors in July, up from 20 million in 2012. Most visited the Twitch.tv website to watch other people play live or recorded games —competitions interspersed with advertising.

Digital video advertising in the U.S. is expected to reach $5.96 billion this year, according to eMarketer, up 41.9 percent from 2013.

“Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement.

The deal is the latest example of Amazon expanding into new commercial arenas. It introduced its own smartphone, the Fire, this month. Earlier this summer, it added same-day delivery, a set-top video streaming device to its list of services for members of Prime, its $99 annual loyalty program.

Amazon already has an in-house gaming studio that makes games, and its Fire TV set top box was designed to attract gamers.