Google has come under fire for a controversial new service that reveals just how much it knows about you.
Call Timeline, it is designed to allow users of the firm’s online maps to see the places they frequent most often.
Google says it will help people remember restaurants and other places they visited easily.
However, some users took to twitter to describe the feature as ‘scary’ and one site dubbed it ‘terrifyingly cool but terrifyingly scary’.
‘Have you ever wanted a way to easily remember all the places you’ve been – whether it’s a museum you visited during your last vacation or that fun bar you stumbled upon a few months ago?’ the firm’s Gerard Sanz said in a blog post announcing the feature.
‘Well, starting today, Google Maps can help.’
‘We’re gradually rolling out Your Timeline, a useful way to remember and view the places you’ve been on a given day, month or year.
‘Your Timeline allows you to visualize your real-world routines, easily see the trips you’ve taken and get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time.’
It uses location taken from the user’s mobile phone.
The service can even look through pictures to find those users have taken at each location.
‘If you use Google Photos, we’ll show the photos you took when viewing a specific day, to help resurface your memories.’
How, Google stresses the security of the service, saying ‘Your Timeline is private and visible only to you; and you control the locations you choose to keep.
‘This means you can easily delete a day or your full history at any time.
Users can also edit place that appear, including removing a specific location or giving a frequented spot a private name.
The service is available on desktop and Android.
‘We hope you find Your Timeline a valuable and helpful tool as you explore the world around you,’ the firm says.