[sp332]

You know that's opt-in, right? And you can just click the gear or go here https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0/settings and click "Disable" and then "Save".

[sfall]

i think you need it on to take advantage of many of google now's features

[sp332]

That's because the features require location data. If you don't want the downsides of location data, you can't get the advantages either.