Murcielago If you have an offline map, and you have location on, and airplane mode on, and WiFi off, you can still use a map feature.
For example, let's say I use AT&T and don't have airplane mode on. I am visiting my sister Tangela in a city called Cityfarm.
I stop at a car dealership to look at new cars for 20 minutes.
I stop by a health clinic to treat a specific medical condition for 40 minutes.
I stop by a store that sells alcohol for 4 minutes.
I stop by a rehab center for 6 minutes.
That data about where I am [can technically be] measured by the cell phone towers including duration of time spent at each place. [removed]. Ad tech companies will now infer I am looking for a new car, have a particular medical condition, and am likely an alcoholic considering going to rehab. I will now get a barrage of new car ads, rehab ads, alcohol ads, and health ads on Facebook. Some of this information will be kept by data brokers to assemble personality profiles about me that may later impact job applications.
I can look up these same places using an offline map in airplane mode without WiFi and navigate by offline map. I go look at cars, I stop by a specific medical clinic, I buy alcohol for a friend and visit my sister Tangela in rehab. Location is passive, information is not sent outside the device. Cellular data tower distance is not passive and creates information about where I am.
I was using OsmAnd and it normally can get location faster than it did. This App was recently updated, I don't know the version number then. I am not discussing the new feature but instead am saying traditional location was slower than usual after the update.
mod note: I've removed a couple things above, I've made clear what was changed or removed by italicizing and surrounding what I've changed/removed with brackets.