Google timeline data loss: privacy win or user betrayal?

Google’s Timeline data purge has begun, with some users losing years of location history overnight. Are you next?

I’ve recently been bombarded with emails from Google, saying my travel timeline will be deleted on May 18th if I don’t intervene with the settings.

Largely ignorant of the problem, as per usual, I’ve now woken up with the news of an accidental deletion of timelines on Google's part, so it’s time to pay attention.

So, a user's location history and timeline may have been deleted without their consent – accidentally.

The Google timeline can be a useful feature in terms of showing you which other towns and countries you have visited.

Even the restaurants and shops you’ve been to can act as a digital diary, not to mention the reviews you and others may have left for certain establishments.

Furthermore, there was something in it for Google and advertisers, as your data could be analyzed to tailor recommendations to your tastes and habits.

Tracking gone wrong

During this process of mass deletion of user data – which was brought about due to ongoing concerns about user privacy – a warning flared up that years of data had accidentally been deleted.

Many users took to the pages of Reddit to discuss the issue.

"I never got the email but because of this post, I went and checked. Everything was gone." said u/rockycore, showing here that this blooper may be irreversible.

"Luckily I had moved everything. But I’m getting sick of Google's problems." – u/how-tobe shows a broader erosion of trust with the platform.

Another highlight included one user citing this as another example of “enshitification” – initially offering a great digital experience, and then later letting it degrade in quality over time.

This is particularly alarming as some users' data will have been deleted without any forewarning, and there’s no knowing how many users have been affected – it could be millions.

Lost, not found

If you happen to be a user without backups turned on, then you could be staring at an entirely blank canvas.

The warning message that Google has sent is particularly surprising as it fails to adequately address the potential data loss, leaving users with little guidance on how to protect their information.

The decision from Google comes as it pushes users to keep their info stored on devices as opposed to the cloud.

If a real estate agent, a sales representative, or a traveler needed this location on-demand and anticipated a May 18th deletion, then it might hinder their ability to access important records or track past visits.

Some users may refreshingly be able to take back some control over their data, whereas others will unwittingly lose everything either by this accidental deletion or if they don’t take action in time.

Cloudy outlook ahead

Also, if a user wishes to access their location data across multiple devices, it may be more difficult than previously, as they relied on a largely dependable digital infrastructure provided to them by Google.

Making these settings more complex may also confuse or overwhelm the average user. Less clarity could well mean less trust in Google and mean that they hold the keys for sporadic policy changes, as was the case with Google Photos storage limits and the shutdown of Google Play Music.

By prioritizing profit and their own storage space over user autonomy, this is a prime example of the enshitification of the internet from Google's side.

It would help to redress the balance if Google offered more export and backup tools above the hood that were easier to use or explained the process in simpler terms to users. Not everyone is tech-savvy enough to fully grasp what this deletion means.

What is sorely lacking in this case is practical advice for users who want to protect their data or recover what they have lost.

Map it out

For this situation, there are a couple of options available:

If you want to keep your timeline data:

• Update Google Maps to the latest version.
• Review your settings: Open Google Maps → Tap your profile picture → Select Your Timeline → Go to Settings & privacy.
• Choose whether to keep Location History on-device or back it up to the cloud (if available).
• Manually back up your data: Use Google Takeout to download and save a copy of your Location History.
• Verify all devices: Check that each device is saving Timeline data correctly (Google is now handling this per device).

If you want to delete your timeline data:

• Manually delete data: In Google Maps → Timeline → Settings & privacy, select "Delete all location history" or set up auto-delete.
• Turn off location tracking completely: Go to Google Account settings → Data & Privacy → Location History and disable it across devices.