Every time I see one of these I'm validated in my decision to switch to Apple.
"Significant Locations are encrypted and cannot be read by Apple."
But it's certanly used to track missing persons and kidnappings for a long while now.
iOS keeps as much location data local to the device as possible, and anonymizes the rest. In many cases there's nothing for them to give up.
Also, you could even use Google apps and just disable background location for those. Because unlike Android, iOS actually respects that choice.
"Location services may collect and share data with companies like Google and Apple, who in turn may share it with law enforcement agencies. "
“But while Apple's location data processing is anonymous, two hard-to-find settings— "Location History" and "Web and App Activity" — allow Google to keep track of everything their users search, and everywhere they go. It affects all Android users, and iPhone or iPad users with apps like Google Maps installed on their device.
The difference between cell tower triangulation, and being followed by a guy in a trenchcoat is not.
In fact, there's a number of categorical differences between the first two, and the third.
1. The first two are automated. 2. The first two are recorded in a computer-searchable database. 3. The first two, by nature, are capable of scaling to encompass every cell-phone owner.
You're not going to get the 'set a spook to follow people' approach to accomplish any one of these.
I don't it's a claim to be well-informed or even better informed as compared to others. I dare say everyone in the HN is reasonably well informed on a variety of subjects. I think it is a critique of the limitations in reasoning. A person can be well informed and still succumb to flawed reasoning. No matter how well informed one is one can still have blind spots. E.g. an allegiance to a particular device or OS in the hope of being safe from surveillance.