I still say microsoft's windows 10 SPYWARE operating system is going beyond spying than what android, google and others are doing.

WTF am I complaining for?! I don't use windows anymore. Later.....

I'm no fan of MS, but the idea that google is your big warm and fuzzy open source friendly pal is outdated and naive. Android requires you to register a google account to use it and has built in tracking. Every search, mis-typed URL, request for a dodgy website and all page requests and the requesting IP are fired off straight to google servers and logged forever. And geolocation on android phones, browsers and affiliated browsers means google actually know where you are at all times. This allows for a profile to be built up about you, your friends, family, movements, likes, dislikes, job, favourite products, health problems, etc which MS could only dream of obtaining. MS are simply not in the same line of business (adware/spyware) however. This information is power and it's why google are worth over $100 billion despite only being on the scene since 1998.

The average person sees geolocation as a feature which automatically tells their social group chums, that they've walked into a <trendy cafe>/<designer clothes shop>. Try to explain to them that they should turn this OFF and see what the reaction will be?

I suggest reading the relevant privacy policies:
https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/
https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/privacy/

Then there is the issue that apps are often accessing data, interfaces and features that they should not be, by default - and google wants this to continue, e.g:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/1...er-adding-them

Most "average users" are blissfully unaware of this as they won't easily come across the controls to turn this crap off - or there are no controls.

So while it has been the Linux users' fashion trend to just hate MS since time immemorial, google have been shown to be in many respects far worse. People are getting all fretful about MS capturing some data, while google fly in under the radar and grab vast amounts from right under your noses...

I see your point about geoloaction.

I just updated my Iphone 5S to IOS9 and have always had geolocation disabled since I am not phone techy myself. They bait you with the find my phone application to turn geolocation on. Which makes sense actually.

If someone steals your phone and you want to get it back that is.

So rock or a hard place is all there is. Or frying pan or fire if you prefer.
One tool requires the other. So a user thinks, "sure, I wanna find my stolen phone" and hits
the "I accept" button.

The part of me which always learns from the school of hard knocks, tells me that if I lose my phone, and it's a good phone not some oldie, I'm not getting it back and so my recourse is to report that I need a new phone to my cell carrier and then take whatever grade of punishment/cost that I wasn't prepared/insured for.

This is all regardless as to whether or not I had location enabled on the thing.

Just the other side of the coin on the above statement.

My wifes Iphone was stolen while on the job sitting on the pickup truck seat.
She located the phone and address.
Knocked on the door and said, "Give me my phone back or I call the cops!"

The girl ran back and brought back her phone.
This is on the Mexican border.

Yup, happens here all the time. Just happened to a friend of my wife's maybe 2 weeks ago. Never did hear what came of it, but she was able to get logged in and find where it was.

While it's easy to admire incidents where spirited "vigilantism" turns out well. It could also have turned nasty very easily. It's not worth being physically harmed for the sake of throwaway consumer electronics. The real issue is the sheer amount of personal and private data carried on these devices...

There was a time when old ladies walking around with a handbag stuffed with a big bundle of £20 notes. Nowadays we have plastic cards - so it's best to advise your grandmothers hand over the card (and the phone), then get to a payphone, call the police and then bank and get the card stopped (and call the phone provider and get the phone blocked).

The phone with all of your personal data, photos, bank account logins, social networks, message history, contacts, etc (all ready and logged in) is the modern equivalent to that handbag stuffed with cash.

The Louisville Slugger probably had something to do with the reaction

Of course I was with her. You crazy?