Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off
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I'm sure authorities all over the world will punish Google harshly and decisively for this massive privacy violation. Like that time years ago when Google "accidentally" intercepted traffic on unsecured wireless networks with Street View cars. I think they got something like 10 minutes' worth of profit in fines.
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article slug @blek posted said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
As long as you're accessing the internet on an Android device, Google can figure out where you are, a new Quartz investigation found.
Yeah, it's called GeoIP. Guess what: the websites you're visiting (yea, even every node between you and wherever you're connecting to) can do this too. It's not new.
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Android devices have been sending location information about nearby cell towers to Google since the beginning of 2017, Quartz said, with Google getting pinged every time a user entered the range of a new tower.
That doesn't sound like GeoIP to me
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@blek said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
Android devices have been sending location information about nearby cell towers to Google since the beginning of 2017, Quartz said, with Google getting pinged every time a user entered the range of a new tower.
That doesn't sound like GeoIP to me
📖 🚧 ☔ et al.
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@blek said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
I'm sure authorities all over the world will punish Google harshly and decisively for this massive privacy violation. Like that time years ago when Google "accidentally" intercepted traffic on unsecured wireless networks with Street View cars. I think they got something like 10 minutes' worth of profit in fines.
COOKIES ARE DELICIOUS FUCK YOU
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From what I understand, they weren't actually collecting the unique ID, which was being sent erroneously. They use the location information to improve cell service like SMS and mobile data. Without the unique ID the location data is useless for any other purpose.
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@lb_ said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
From what I understand, they weren't actually collecting the unique ID, which was being sent erroneously. They use the location information to improve cell service like SMS and mobile data. Without the unique ID the location data is useless for any other purpose.
THEY'RE SPYING ON YOU. JUST LIKE THAT TIME THAT GOOGLE WAS STEALING ALL YOUR WIFI. WHERE'S YOUR TINFOIL HAT? THE GOOGLE-NAUTS WILL GET YOU!!!
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@blek Btw, if I own an Android phone, I'll want to use Google's tracking service in case my phone is lost.
Because of this, Google will have my phone's location data anyway and I have little concern about it,
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Google knows where I've been. I haven't even deleted that time when in band camp...
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@lb_ said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
From what I understand, they weren't actually collecting the unique ID, which was being sent erroneously.
From what I understood, they are not collecting it, but it is sent intentionally. It would make zero sense otherwise.
@lb_ said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
They use the location information to improve cell service like SMS and mobile data.
That's the operator's business; they have nothing to do with that.
They use it to improve services that operate on top of data connection like e-mail notifications.
@lb_ said in Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off:
Without the unique ID the location data is useless for any other purpose.
Without unique ID the data is useless for any purpose at all. That's why they do have it. The data should not be stored. But we have to rely on their words for that…