Parents keeping track of their kids is to be expected, and there is already technology that allows parents to track their kids using devices like smartwatches, phones, and GPS technology in general. However, it seems that Google now wants to introduce reverse tracking, where your kids can now track you.
Google has recently updated its Google Assistant with some new family features, one of which is the ability for kids to ask for their family’s whereabouts. Users will be able to ask Google, “Hey Google, where’s my family?” or ask for specific family members, and it will be able to pull up their last known location on Google Maps.
This does raise some privacy concerns, but it seems that it only works if the family member is over 13, and that everyone is part of the Google family account, meaning that you won’t be able to track anyone. Location sharing will, of course, need to be enabled on Google Maps or its partner app Life360.
It is an interesting feature and we’re not sure if parents are ready to be tracked by their kids, but we suppose it goes both ways. It could be a safety thing, where if a family member is not answering their phone and has been away for a suspiciously long time, this could be useful especially if they might have gotten into an accident and are in trouble and need help.
Filed in . Read more about Google, Google Assistant and Privacy. Source: theverge