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Google collects cell tower info even if location services are disabled

qz.com

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

#71

Post by the_common_man »

alwaysdoit wrote: post #56

If you're concerned about this level of location tracking, don't carry a cell phone at all. Keeping track of which cell tower your phone is closest to is fundamental to cellular technology. You can't make or receive calls unless Verizon, T-Mobile, or whichever carrier you have knows which cell to communicate with you through. Regardless of whether Google is tracking this, your carrier certainly is, and with a warrant…

> If you're worried about hackers, I can guarantee you Google protects this data more securely than your carrier does.

This is absurd. Me not wanting google to have this data has nothing to do with how secure they can keep it.

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

#72

Post by dragonwriter »

baxtr wrote: post #67
IBM wrote: 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.

True. The big difference between Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works. In the case of google they sell you. Thus, but Business Model alone you should not trust google if you care about privacy. It doesn’t make sense for them to stop collecting data points about you.

> Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works

Well, pricey hardware, at least.

> In the case of google they sell you

No, they aren't in the slave trade; they sell ad placement, not people.

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

#73

Post by endemic »

iaml wrote: post #55
imiric wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What can Android or other mobile OS users do to protect their privacy? Is there a mobile OS that genuinely takes privacy seriously, yet is easy to install and use?

My guess is flashing LineageOS + microG + yalp store is closest you can get.

I'm very tempted to go down this route, but it seems to fail the "easy to install and use" bit.

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

#74

Post by zitterbewegung »

dragonwriter wrote: post #72
baxtr wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True. The big difference between Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works. In the case of google they sell you. Thus, but Business Model alone you should not trust google if you care about privacy. It doesn’t make sense for them to stop collecting data points about you.

> Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works Well, pricey hardware, at least. > In the case of google they sell you No, they aren't in the slave trade; they sell ad placement, not people.

They sell ad placement by observing all of your behaviors and figuring out what you want to do. (Refining the other statement ).

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

#75

Post by evanlivingston »

dragonwriter wrote: post #72
baxtr wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True. The big difference between Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works. In the case of google they sell you. Thus, but Business Model alone you should not trust google if you care about privacy. It doesn’t make sense for them to stop collecting data points about you.

> Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works Well, pricey hardware, at least. > In the case of google they sell you No, they aren't in the slave trade; they sell ad placement, not people.

During the height of slavery it was widely accepted, culturally and legally, that slaves wern't people. Slavers sold implements of labor, not people.

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

#76

Post by mtarnovan »

alwaysdoit wrote: post #56

If you're concerned about this level of location tracking, don't carry a cell phone at all. Keeping track of which cell tower your phone is closest to is fundamental to cellular technology. You can't make or receive calls unless Verizon, T-Mobile, or whichever carrier you have knows which cell to communicate with you through. Regardless of whether Google is tracking this, your carrier certainly is, and with a warrant…

> If you're concerned about this level of location tracking, don't carry a cell phone at all.

This seems to be implying that this level of tracking is expected, or required. It's not. Not by Google anyway, which doesn't need and should never access this information.

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

#77

Post by victor106 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #72
baxtr wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True. The big difference between Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works. In the case of google they sell you. Thus, but Business Model alone you should not trust google if you care about privacy. It doesn’t make sense for them to stop collecting data points about you.

> Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works Well, pricey hardware, at least. > In the case of google they sell you No, they aren't in the slave trade; they sell ad placement, not people.

About Price: the google Pixel phones are not much cheaper than an iPhone. The last I checked Pixel xl 2 was 10% cheaper than an iPhone X

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

#78

Post by on_and_off »

>It is not clear how cell-tower addresses, transmitted as a data string that identifies a specific cell tower

Couldn't it be used to avoid faulty towers ?

I am not an expert at all, but I was told several times that it was a problematic issue.

Not that it would be an excuse for collecting it when location sharing is off but I am curious to know why I can be helpful to FCM

I am really curious to know how Qz determined that Google was collecting this data.

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

#79

Post by dragonwriter »

victor106 wrote: post #77
dragonwriter wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple and google is that Apple sells you pricey hardware, that just works Well, pricey hardware, at least. > In the case of google they sell you No, they aren't in the slave trade; they sell ad placement, not people.

About Price: the google Pixel phones are not much cheaper than an iPhone. The last I checked Pixel xl 2 was 10% cheaper than an iPhone X

Sure, Google also sells pricey hardware, it's just not their core business.

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

#80

Post by tryingagainbro »

IBM wrote: 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.

Only governments can tame this beast now, way too big and too rich for any startup.

I noticed several chrome instances running on "Task manager" almost all the time. Used Chrome maybe months ago. So I uninstalled. Who knows what they were doing, collecting. I trust them as much as I (would) trust a hustler on the old 42nd street

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