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Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

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Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My first instinct was to laugh. My second was "I want this."

I had the same exact reaction as you! :-)

It's not impossible to do. You could weave a lightweight signal-blocking mesh into a pocket without impacting wearability.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple provides a black box with iOS, they have full control. Maybe the next iOS update comes with privacy intrusion because it's more lucrative. A more sensible way of dealing wirh the issue would be to use an open source Android version like AOSP or LineageOS, not run proprietary gapps, and replace its functionality with F-Droid, MicroG and Yalp-store. Your location will stay out of Apple's/Google's hands and you ca…

> Maybe the next iOS update comes with privacy intrusion because it's more lucrative. Apple has demonstrated time and time again their commitment to privacy and to protecting user data. Apple does not see user data as something to be hoarded. They see user data as a liability and work very hard to collect as little as possible in order to provide the services they do. The idea that Apple is going to discard all of th…

Careful there with Kool Aid.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#153
post #63

It's amazing to me how many comments here excuse Google's behavior by offering the impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. That's the advice of pretty much everyone in the infosec field and I'm sure some of them will attest to that in this thread.

>the solution is to buy a (much more expensive) phone from this specific competitor This sounds like advertising. Also, I'm fairly sure that Apple also sells data. Indeed, given current privacy laws, it's basically guaranteed that if a company has proprietary software, it is selling data from that software.

Apple has it's privacy details laid out, in both plain English and fairly in-depth, at https://www.apple.com/privacy/

They make it very clear that they are protecting data, to a far greater degree than Google offers if you use their ecosystem.

I don't think it's at all fair to resort to an "Everyone is the same" argument here.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#154

It’s funny how when asked about it, google instantly stated that it was being removed and all location data was purged. It’s almost as if they saw how bad it looks and how it hurts android’s reputation, but hoped no one would notice/care.

One wonders what other stuff is in there that we do not know about, and would get a similar reaction. That is the first thing I though off.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe the next iOS update comes with privacy intrusion because it's more lucrative. Apple has demonstrated time and time again their commitment to privacy and to protecting user data. Apple does not see user data as something to be hoarded. They see user data as a liability and work very hard to collect as little as possible in order to provide the services they do. The idea that Apple is going to discard all of th…

Can you post a link to close my appleID? Yes, you can close a Google/ Microsoft account with few clicks

It should be available, at least in the EU, by May, if it isn’t already. I think it is a requirement of GDPR.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#156
post #133
post #63

It's amazing to me how many comments here excuse Google's behavior by offering the impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. That's the advice of pretty much everyone in the infosec field and I'm sure some of them will attest to that in this thread.

I don't disagree with your first point, but I disagree with the second. Encouraging everyone to "just buy an iPhone" is a false dilemma of its own. No. The "obvious" solution here is to regulate companies and give huge fines for doing stuff like this, without explicit user permission. Google went through hell in Germany over its "error" in collecting user data from their Wi-Fi hotspots. Why can't the U.S. do the same…

The “obvious” solution takes time to implement and with the current administration in power upon the US, there is little hope they will do the right thing here.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#157
post #63

It's amazing to me how many comments here excuse Google's behavior by offering the impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. That's the advice of pretty much everyone in the infosec field and I'm sure some of them will attest to that in this thread.

Ignoring the appeal to conjectured authority, the notion that a completely closed box device, by a company that has many revenue streams, solves this problem is absolutely ludicrous. That this ridiculous claim gets posted on an otherwise reasonable site regularly is outrageous.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#159
post #63

It's amazing to me how many comments here excuse Google's behavior by offering the impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. That's the advice of pretty much everyone in the infosec field and I'm sure some of them will attest to that in this thread.

> It's amazing to me how many comments here excuse Google's behavior by offering the impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. Smartphone or not, carrying any phone means providing this information to your carrier at all times. I don't like the idea of sending this information to anybody, but to be honest, Google is the entity that I'm the las…

A common view in these discussions is that people are happy for Google to collect data about them, and other users, because they have an excellent track record in security.

You can't have privacy without security, but security by itself does not equal privacy.

The best security in the world doesn't mean that you have privacy if everything you do online is tracked. And no company arguably tracks you more than Google. The volume of tracking data they collect about users is mind-bogglingly gargantuan in scale.

It's baffling how Google escapes scrutiny on their data collection practices, particularly from the tech community who seem happy to give Google a free pass on matters of privacy and online tracking.

Re: Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

#160
post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with your first point, but I disagree with the second. Encouraging everyone to "just buy an iPhone" is a false dilemma of its own. No. The "obvious" solution here is to regulate companies and give huge fines for doing stuff like this, without explicit user permission. Google went through hell in Germany over its "error" in collecting user data from their Wi-Fi hotspots. Why can't the U.S. do the same…

The “obvious” solution takes time to implement and with the current administration in power upon the US, there is little hope they will do the right thing here.

The former CEO of google is bff with the clintons and was heavily involved with Obama's campaign. Good for him, I guess. But the previous administration did very little for internet privacy and rights.

Dont fool yourself that the problem is the "current" administration and the next administration from the "good guys" will solve everything.

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