If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

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TwoTankAmin
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If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by TwoTankAmin » 2018-01-24, 16:34

I am glad I still do not own a smart phone.

From Quartz by David Yanofsky- If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make
Biking? Google probably knows you are. Up a mountain? It probably knows that, too.

The Alphabet subsidiary’s location-hungry tentacles are quietly lurking behind some of the most innovative features of its Android mobile operating system. Once those tentacles latch on, phones using Android begin silently transmitting data back to the servers of Google, including everything from GPS coordinates to nearby wifi networks, barometric pressure, and even a guess at the phone-holder’s current activity. Although the product behind those transmissions is opt-in, for Android users it can be hard to avoid and even harder to understand. Opting in is also required to use several of Android’s marquee features.
Full article here https://qz.com/1183559/if-youre-using-an-android-phone-google-may-be-tracking-every-move-you-make/
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Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-01-24, 16:45

Most of the items mentioned in the article can be mitigated by NOT opting in to Location History; further so by disallowing location access to Play Services and other built-in apps; or by turning location services off completely (which is what I do most of the time).

Of course, that approach assumes Google plays by their own rules and doesn't record your location in other ways... just because my Google location history is empty doesn't mean Google doesn't have anything on me, or that they deleted anything at all from their servers when I pressed "Delete my history".

And finally, you don't need to own an Android phone for Google to track you on the net. *Waves to the passing Google[Bot]* :wave:
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Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by Moonchild » 2018-01-24, 17:04

Isengrim wrote:Waves to the passing Google[Bot]
:) That one's just keeping tabs on every post everyone on the forum makes -- a bit like Tobin ;)
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mrmivo

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by mrmivo » 2018-01-25, 13:42

I have location services turned off, because I don't need any of the features that require it, but I feel that these things would benefit from better regulation.

Then again, I don't know how many people actually care. Amazon's Echo device sold like hotcakes this Christmas season, Google Home is widely popular and thought of as one of the coolest inventions ever. Siri and other assistants make people feel like they are in a scifi movie and they can hardly contain their fascination and excitement. Currently, convenience seems to be far higher valued than privacy.

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Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by adesh » 2018-01-25, 14:08

Convenience trumps everything.

Google is recording your calls, reading your messges, tracking your payments, hearing your sounds, logging every key you press and determinig your destiny. Best of all, it has a root terminal open on your phone whenever you connect to Internet. It can kill your phone at will. Effectively, you are living at its mercy. And it does all this because you let it!

Come on, guys! Stop complainig about Google. We all know its reputation. I wouldn't be slightly surprised if all of the above things are actually true, it's a matter of time before someone finds out.

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dark_moon

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by dark_moon » 2018-01-25, 15:06

Thats no new news. Also this isnt Android related. I'm sure Apple does it too
Just flash a ROM without GAPPS and youre fine

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Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-01-25, 15:44

dark_moon wrote:Thats no new news. Also this isnt Android related. I'm sure Apple does it too
Just flash a ROM without GAPPS and youre fine
I intend to migrate to Lineage in the near future.

And I'm not sure Apple has the same motivations as Google to collect data. Don't they make more money than Google on selling their devices and hardware?
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Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by dark_moon » 2018-01-25, 16:24

Isengrim wrote:
dark_moon wrote:Thats no new news. Also this isnt Android related. I'm sure Apple does it too
Just flash a ROM without GAPPS and youre fine
I intend to migrate to Lineage in the near future.
Good! LineageOS is awesome and the internal privacy manager is very nice.
Isengrim wrote:And I'm not sure Apple has the same motivations as Google to collect data. Don't they make more money than Google on selling their devices and hardware?
Apple collect the same data. Of course they make more money then Google. Google only sell a few phones, but a lot can run Android

dudewithit

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by dudewithit » 2018-01-26, 06:11

TwoTankAmin wrote:I am glad I still do not own a smart phone.

From Quartz by David Yanofsky- If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make
Biking? Google probably knows you are. Up a mountain? It probably knows that, too.

The Alphabet subsidiary’s location-hungry tentacles are quietly lurking behind some of the most innovative features of its Android mobile operating system. Once those tentacles latch on, phones using Android begin silently transmitting data back to the servers of Google, including everything from GPS coordinates to nearby wifi networks, barometric pressure, and even a guess at the phone-holder’s current activity. Although the product behind those transmissions is opt-in, for Android users it can be hard to avoid and even harder to understand. Opting in is also required to use several of Android’s marquee features.
Full article here https://qz.com/1183559/if-youre-using-an-android-phone-google-may-be-tracking-every-move-you-make/
I thought this was obvious.

New Tobin Paradigm

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by New Tobin Paradigm » 2018-01-26, 07:54

It is obvious but most are oblivious or don't care and some are so far gone that they even like and embrace it. Oh my gosh, so trendy!
Last edited by New Tobin Paradigm on 2018-01-26, 07:54, edited 1 time in total.

lyceus

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by lyceus » 2018-01-31, 05:19

I had told this before, the evil plan works because you feed real data to the beast. I use a fake ID for my email and all Google services. My phone has pokemons and digimons in the contact list(*) and I prefer use Pale Moon for services like email. So they get just junk data that is not really a profile for market of. Actually I gave up in Android gaming as the "free to play games" are just ad machines that broke the phone in the mid run.

(* Why for? In my country the phone robbery crime is high. So it's more difficult for a thief to guess who is a relative with this scheme)

Fedor2

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by Fedor2 » 2018-02-01, 01:14

Will android phone leak to google if delete all google apps from it? Actualy i did that already on fellows phone.
For internet installed palemoon, for map yandex map, aimp player, viver and that was all person needed. Also LBE Security Master good thing. All apps installed from apk.

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Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by klipkyle » 2018-02-01, 06:04

dark_moon wrote:Just flash a ROM without GAPPS and youre fine
LineageOS without GAPPS has been my configuration for a few months. It's nice in how my phone actually works for me and doesn't try to do "smart" things behind my back.

https://klipkyle.gitlab.io/blog/thought ... hones.html

I just wish that more app developers knew about projects like F-Droid. Google Play store shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of app distribution, but it right now it is.

dark_moon

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by dark_moon » 2018-02-01, 19:52

Fedor2 wrote:Will android phone leak to google if delete all google apps from it? Actualy i did that already on fellows phone.
If you do that with a stock ROM, you break it. Also: No.
You need a custom ROM to do that.
Fedor2 wrote:For internet installed palemoon, for map yandex map, aimp player, viver and that was all person needed. Also LBE Security Master good thing. All apps installed from apk.
Dont use Pale Moon 4 Android. Its not actually maintained and missed a lot updates. Use instead Fennec from F-Droid
Also try to only install apps from F-Droid. No manuall apk installation!

lyceus

Re: If you’re using an Android phone, Google may be tracking every move you make

Unread post by lyceus » 2018-02-12, 05:57

Fedor2 wrote:Will android phone leak to google if delete all google apps from it? Actualy i did that already on fellows phone.
For internet installed palemoon, for map yandex map, aimp player, viver and that was all person needed. Also LBE Security Master good thing. All apps installed from apk.
Still you need to go the google account and opt-out of all the tracking stuff possible as several of the switches are more visible in the desktop page. For do that enter in Gmail desktop page and then do the security and privacy check.

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