Anyone here use Life360?

[matt819]

It's a location tracking service. My family has been using it for a few years now, though one of my children has opted out because of perceived (or even real) battery drain.

I have found it handy on occasion when I'm lost and call my wife to put me back on track. These calls usually involve a fair amount of "you moron" and "I told you to turn right, not left (you moron)," and such.

Whatever. I was on the app just now and saw an ad for a link to auto insurance "based on my driving." This would include miles driven, where I drive, and, of course, speeds. Not going to click that link. But it got me thinking about their privacy policy, which I looked at - it's more than 7,000 words. And it's not especially clear that whether they sell my driving data to insurance companies, regardless of whether I want to explore my insurance options.

I'm not so naive to think that my online privacy is, well, all that private. I bank and shop online. I allow cookies. Even though I'm given the option to decline them, that's pretty silly because then the site won't do whatever the site's supposed to do so that I can use it. It's just breathtaking what's out there .

In any case, anyone using this or similar services with bad privacy experiences?

[customerserviceguy]

1. I clicked on your post

just to see if I could find out what "Life360" is, sounds like a spy app.

Bottom line is, there is no free software, you trade privacy for functionality. My mother (who turned 86 on Friday) blasted my red-hued Safeway frequent shopper card as a "communist card", and my reply was, "Well, if they want to know what brand of toilet paper an ordinary working guy like me buys, and they're willing to give me discounts for it, I'll take it!"

The provider of the Life360 app "won" by getting you to notice the ad. You "won" the next battle by not clicking on the link, or worse, buying the insurance product that was being hawked. Teach yourself to ignore ads, or at least laugh at them haughtily, and you'll win the use of the app while weaker people pay for it.

[matt819]

5. Not a spy app

Just a location app. More info here: https://www.life360.com/

When I can, I disable as much stuff as I can - on any app - as long as I can still use it.

As for tracking, I understand the Firefox is more "private" than Chrome, and I did try to switch to Firefox, but the reality (well, at least my reality) is that using Chrome is just easier. So, I guess I'm sacrificing my privacy on the altar of ease of use.

[customerserviceguy]

6. Well, one man's location app

is another man's spy app. It's all about keeping track of where someone is, and that can be beneficial in some cases, or considered nosy in other cases. Clearly, this app is about knowing your comings and goings, it is natural to assume that they want that information for purposes that are different for what you and your family want it for.

Bottom line is, just be resistant to sales pitches, and how much or how little they track you won't make a difference. At least you're not oblivious to the fact that you are sacrificing privacy for utility, most app users are. Others, like me, simply don't care.

[onecaliberal]

2. We have used it for about a year. Have never clicked on an add or purchased anything.

[genxlib]

3. My family uses it

We find it to be hugely helpful. Actually my biggest complaint is that it will fail to register someone's location for some periods of time. In that regard, it can be a little hit and miss.

But we use the heck out of it.

I have never worried about the privacy implications. I gave up that expectation when I started carrying a smart phone. If it wasn't them it would be Google or Apple collecting the information.

[matt819]

4. Yeah

That's pretty much been my assumption for years.

I've found that when wifi is off, location specificity is lower. I have to laugh, though. When my wife and I are at home, it shows the two of us at different, though nearby, locations.

Speaking of location specificity - you know how in the movies once they have an ip address, they call in the troops (or the cops, or a bomb) at a specific location. I have tracked my own ip address and I appear to be within a 5-mile radius of my actual location. I checked the location of website visitors, and one was in the middle of a river, or 3 miles away at a bus stop.