"Privacy perspective" is way too ambiguous. Can you describe what specific things you want to protect from ?
Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
11–20 of 58 posts
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#12Google has a track record of pushing out Google-y spyware through software update channels. Whatever assumptions you're making based off Android's *current* behaviors, it's not safe to assume they'll hold.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18064537 ("Chrome 69 will keep Google Cookies when you tell it to delete all cookies")
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24817304 ("Chrome exempts Google sites from user site data settings")
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20044430 ("Google to restrict modern ad blocking Chrome extensions to enterprise users")
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17942252 ("Tell HN: Using Gmail? You will be force logged into Chrome")
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#13Disclaimer: I work at Google. In cloud, not on Android. I am privacy conscious so I though I would give a try at Graphene OS, it was brutal. It was overall stable and the stock android R was refreshing. The app selection available through F-droid was very limiting and the quality of apps was a struggle compared to those in the app store. I wish there was some incentive for the better apps to open source and publish o…
> should I just message to the devs and ask them to go open source and publish on f-droid?
Yes!
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#14If you install TrackerControl, no root needed (it pretends to be a VPN to capture your traffic, but is not a real VPN), you will see which apps try to talk to tracking services and thus also which ones talk to Google. It also as a 'traffic log' feature which, when turned on, shows live which app is talking to which tracker. Note that, especially if you turn on blocking services marked as essential in the setup, you w…
Thanks for the recommendation.
If anyone else is interested, the app's website is https://trackercontrol.org
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#15"Privacy perspective" is way too ambiguous. Can you describe what specific things you want to protect from ?
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Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#16"Privacy perspective" is way too ambiguous. Can you describe what specific things you want to protect from ?
Adding layers of difficulty to vacuuming up my data.
Protections from spying on emails, texts, right to be forgotten, geofencing warrant grab all’s.
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#17With a stock, store bought android rom with google play services and such? It might help anonymize your device. If you sign into a network regularly that you use with devices you sign into google with, or a network google associates you.with, they might correlate you with the device. If you follow your normal routine of locations, browsing or other behaviour google is aware of, google may associate the device with wh…
Good but who are "you" to google? Unless you sign in, you are just number on which they have data but not tied to an account. Right?
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#18"Privacy perspective" is way too ambiguous. Can you describe what specific things you want to protect from ?
Adding layers of difficulty to vacuuming up my data. Protections from spying on emails, texts, right to be forgotten, geofencing warrant grab all’s.
> Protections from spying on emails
Do you mean your email inbox ? If so, if you're not signed in, there's nothing here for Google to know. If you're using gmail, obviously when you access your gmail from your phone, Google would know. Either you're using gmail or not. Obviously, emails you send to other gmail users, Google has access to them through other's inboxes, but that is completely independent from your device choice. So I'm not sure what exactly you're worried w.r.t. your device setup.
> texts
If you're not signed in, but using Google backed RCS as SMS/text, then Google won't have access to your message if using end-to-end (for non-group messages). If you're using group messages, they are not end-to-end encrypted.
> right to be forgotten
I'm not sure what you mean, w.r.t. phone device. Care to elaborate ?
> geofencing warrant grab all’s
If you're doing Google searches, they would be subject to geofencing warrant, albeit Google won't know who you are, just that a particular type of device with a particular ip address issued a particular query (and if you shared your location with Google, they would know more fine-grained location but obvious assumption here is you wouldn't do that), but that's no different from any device you use.
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#19Google has a track record of pushing out Google-y spyware through software update channels. Whatever assumptions you're making based off Android's *current* behaviors, it's not safe to assume they'll hold. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18064537 (" Chrome 69 will keep Google Cookies when you tell it to delete all cookies ") https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24817304 (" Chrome exempts Google sites from user s…
[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: How much is Google collecting and keeping on Android if not signed in?
#20Disclaimer: I work at Google. In cloud, not on Android. I am privacy conscious so I though I would give a try at Graphene OS, it was brutal. It was overall stable and the stock android R was refreshing. The app selection available through F-droid was very limiting and the quality of apps was a struggle compared to those in the app store. I wish there was some incentive for the better apps to open source and publish o…
Gotta step in as a GrapheneOS User. You have multiple options.
The easiest and most approachable one is: install Aurora Store from F-Droid. It gives you access to Google Play + App Updates without logging you into Google. This almost feels identical to Google Play itself.
Next: think about install the Experimental GMS Support that GrapheneOS offers. If you e.g. absolutely need an App that has troubles working without Google SDKs embedded, this might be an option. This is documented in the Usage Guide of the Website.
However, just dont forget that you wanted a Google-FREE Phone. So dont overdo installing proprietär stuff.
Oh and stay as far away from MicroG as possible, it seriouly cripples the security of GrapheneOS by a lot.