How to use location apps without leaving a trail of data and getting followed everywhere you go

Photograph of a woman looking at map on a smartphone.

Data Privacy Week 2025

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If you didn’t know already, now you do – it’s Data Privacy Week (January 27 to 31)! The brainchild of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, it aims to arm you with everything you need to spot and avoid the biggest risks to your data privacy and “Take control of your data”.

Location services, like maps and friend/family trackers, are undeniably handy tools – and most of us don’t think twice about using them to plan adventures, find workarounds to a high-traffic route, or check up on the whereabouts of our loved ones.