• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, November 6, 2017

So many of us debate data privacy -- especially during a time when search data and the data linked from mobile apps can pinpoint someone's exact location. Companies are not supposed to be able to pinpoint someone’s exact location, but location tracking using search and other data from mobile devices has made it increasingly feasible.

Search engines and browser makers continue to make it difficult to say "no" through the networking of data, eliminating data silos, and bridging the gap between one bucket of information and another.

The future doesn't happen in a night. It takes years to build. So how much is too much information to give up when trying to find accurate directions to a restaurant a bank or a gas station in an unfamiliar town or city? I keep asking myself that question each time I give in and turn on tracking for my iPhone.

A lot more of us are traveling by car these days. And we're not only trying to find road conditions during cold weather months, we're on our desktops before leaving the house to make sure we don't get lost and reach out destinations safely -- even if part of the travel requires taking a plane, train, car service or bus.

eMarketer estimates that digital travel sales in the U.S. will total $189.62 billion this year, with that figure growing to $219.69 billion by 2021.

Consumers helped Google, Bing and other search companies build a profile on them that enables the engines to target advertisements based on behavior, location, weather, time of day and more. Initially I denounced the services. I felt that most stood for a violation of privacy. But the more I travel by car across the United States, the more thankful I have become that those services are available and increasingly accurate.

Still, as a consumer, especially living in the United States, you have a choice. Use the services and give up information. Don't use the services and get lost or make it more difficult on yourself to find the Indian cuisine in Saint George, Utah.

Google's "Lists" feature for Maps lets users mark places they want to recommend to family and friends and then share them. The feature, which launched earlier this year for mobile apps, is now available on desktop.

It allows those searching for locations to keep track of saved places and share lists through popular messaging apps, text messages, and email.

Find a place on Google Maps, tap "save," and add it to an existing list or create a new one. Similar to mobile, users can click the three dots to share lists with family and friends.

Now, when you go to “Your places” on Google Maps for Android, iOS, or the web, you will see places that you saved to lists from any device," explains Google in a blog post. "And just like on mobile, you can click the three dots to share your lists with family and friends."

The new feature is rolling out over a few weeks.