Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch • Hacker News Board

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#51

Post by jrochkind1 » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

kuschku wrote: post #29

chrisfosterelli wrote: post #15

The idea that you'd have any location privacy while carrying around a cell phone is absurd. Both iPhone and Android devices record location history, and your network provider always has a rough guess of where you are. It may be annoying that Google is very persistent about trying to build its maps dataset, but the suggestion that it's not happening on other devices is crazy.

My mobile carrier is a local server hoster that also happens to operate a fiber and DSL network in the city, and a small 3G network. They don’t track – I’ve talked with them, personally. And in the future, with the Librem phones, we’ll also be able to ensure there is no tracking on the device side.

Hmm, they don't intentionally track or keep tracking data, but for cell phones to work the network _has_ to know what tower you are next to (or really what 'cell' you are in, why it's called a 'cellular phone'), to deliver a phone call or txt to you.

What happens if they get a law enforcement request with warrant/subpoena? I bet the data is there to be delivered. If they aren't _very_ intentional about scrubbing it, it's maybe there in some historical logs too.

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#52

Post by Sephr » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

Angostura wrote: post #36

chrisfosterelli wrote: post #15

The idea that you'd have any location privacy while carrying around a cell phone is absurd. Both iPhone and Android devices record location history, and your network provider always has a rough guess of where you are. It may be annoying that Google is very persistent about trying to build its maps dataset, but the suggestion that it's not happening on other devices is crazy.

On iOS Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services Then turn off everything in the Product Improvement section, turn off Significant Locations and anything else in there you don't want. Done

This doesn't prevent your cell carrier from tracking you.

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#53

Post by JepZ » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

Yeah, Google could still be the cool company they were around 2000, if they just were not so greedy about collecting data for their Advertising business...

Another thing is that every time you start using an Android phone, all Google sync services are activated. So you have no chance to disable them until its too late and Google uploaded all your contacts into their cloud. That should be illegal.

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#54

Post by bootloop » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

fenwick67 wrote: post #23

fwdpropaganda wrote: post #10

Two things that happened to me: A) I walk into a store, get a notification from google photos asking me "I see you're at store X, wouldn't you like to take some pictures?". Possibly to use as part of google maps. Thinking back I think this is when I started de-googlifying my life. B) I get a notification from google maps asking me "you're travelling to place X soon, wouldn't you like to download an offline map, just…

#1 is so obnoxious. No Google, I won't do free work for you. At least offer me some store credit.

Do you pay for their service? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#55

Post by brndnmtthws » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

tacomonstrous wrote: post #20

pdelbarba wrote: post #17

Disregarding the privacy issues, I find this to also be insanely annoying. I want notifications to be important. Not a bunch of spam that ultimately equates to advertising.

You can turn off these notifications in the Maps app. It's annoying they're on by default though.

You shouldn't have to opt out of spam.

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#56

Post by koyote » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

jrochkind1 wrote: post #41

Mizza wrote: post #18

Google are a deeply, deeply unethical company and all of their employees are complicit. On a more practical note, I live in apartment above a restaurant. My phone now asks me to review this restaurant every time I come home and wants me to post photos I take in my apartment to the restaurant's map page. Now that OSM data is as good as Google and Maps.Me is a good enough client, my next phone will be completely de-Goo…

Is there really no way to turn this off? (I don't have an Android phone).

There is of course, but I guess the question remains whether the data is being logged even if you turn it off (you just don't get the annoying notifications anymore).

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#57

Post by m000z0rz » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

tacomonstrous wrote: post #20

pdelbarba wrote: post #17

Disregarding the privacy issues, I find this to also be insanely annoying. I want notifications to be important. Not a bunch of spam that ultimately equates to advertising.

You can turn off these notifications in the Maps app. It's annoying they're on by default though.

I've taken to immediately disabling an app's notifications entirely the first time they present this useless stuff, and nearly every app does it now. Does anyone actually WANT notifications like this?

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#58

Post by fenwick67 » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:23 PM UTC

Zhenya wrote: post #26

excalibur wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Or did OP hand over the data and not bother to go through the settings to turn off things they didn't like OP is making the case that they shouldn't have to. That a personal device they purchased outright should be secure by default.

It's secure. The data is only going to Google. OP agreed to that when he logged into the device with their Google account not when they bought the device. Also: security != privacy

Yeah I think the word they meant to use was "private".

Having a user check a box to agree to this along with a million other things is definitely legal (which I guess is your point?), but it's less than ideal for users.

Consumers buy a phone with the anticipation of being able to watch Netflix and Hulu and send text messages (insert other use cases here), then pay $600 for it, then they are stopped with a "oh by the way if you want all of these apps you need to tell us where you are all the time". It's legally fine but that doesn't make it non-evil.

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#59

Post by excalibur » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:24 PM UTC

Zhenya wrote: post #26

excalibur wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Or did OP hand over the data and not bother to go through the settings to turn off things they didn't like OP is making the case that they shouldn't have to. That a personal device they purchased outright should be secure by default.

It's secure. The data is only going to Google. OP agreed to that when he logged into the device with their Google account not when they bought the device. Also: security != privacy

People generally login to their Android device with their Google account out of a perceived necessity, in order to 1) access the Google Play store to get apps they're actually interested in, and 2) get their gmail to sync to their phone. There is a certain level of sending-data-to-google that is required to facilitate these functions. Android by default sends considerably more.

Re: Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

#60

Post by fixermark » Thu, Jan 18, 2018, 5:24 PM UTC

calebgilbert wrote: post #27

Waiting for the first person to post something along the lines of: 'And why shouldn't Google do $x? It's part of their fiduciary duty to their shareholders, and anyone who doesn't like it can opt to exercise their rights as a consumer and use another product. I personally love having $x as part of my life and feel it is indispensable. Haters gonna hate. (where $x could be 'bashing babies in the head with a clawhammer…

Not just their fiduciary duty: it makes the product better for end-users. Crowd-sourcing data on local businesses gives them a lot fresher and more granular state than they can get with an army of paid scouts.