LOG_DATE: [2025-06-05] | CATEGORY: SECURITY_SCARES | STATUS: TRACKED

I Shared Live Location for a Week

> NO_PLACE_TO_HIDE...

We share location to "meet up". But what if you leave it on? 24/7?

I shared my Google Maps Live Location with 5 close friends. I told them: "Check it whenever you want."

Day 1: The Novelty

Friend A: "I see you at Starbucks. Get me a coffee?"

Me: "Haha, okay."

It felt convenient. A superpower.

Day 3: The Surveillance

Friend B: "Why are you still at the office? It's 9 PM."

I felt judged. I felt the need to explain my movement. "I'm just finishing up!" I typed, feeling a weird guilt.

Day 5: The Glitch

Friend C: "Why are you at the Hospital? Are you okay?"

Panic. I wasn't at the hospital. I was at the pharmacy next to the hospital buying toothpaste. But the GPS drift made it look like I was in the ER.

I woke up to 10 missed calls. "I'm fine!" I had to scream. GPS inaccuracy caused real-world anxiety.

The Psychology of Being Watched

By Day 7, I changed my behavior. I didn't go to McDonald's because I didn't want them to see I was eating junk food again. I drove slower.

📍

This is the Panopticon Effect. When you know you are watched, you discipline yourself. You lose the freedom of anonymity. Privacy isn't just about hiding secrets; it's about the freedom to be unobserved, to be boring, to make mistakes without explanation.