Google's Location History tracking is creepier than thought

[LASER_oneXM]

Research by online magazine Quartz suggests that Android's Location History feature tracks more data than initially thought.

Location History "helps you get better results and recommendations on Google products" according to Google. It may be used to locate a missing phone, get traffic predictions, or recommendations based on places you have visited in the past.

It is an opt-in feature of Android devices that Google integrated into apps like Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Assistant or Google App.

While many Android users are probably aware that enabling the Location History on the device provides Google with location-based data, most probably don't know what Google collects in detail.

Particularly worrying, so the researchers is the fact that every Google app may access Location History data and not only the app the user permits to collect the data.

The following information is transmitted to Google servers at regular intervals if Location History is enabled according to the analysis of the Quartz researchers:

• The type of movement, e.g., walking, biking or driving.
• The barometric pressure.
• Whether the device is connected to a wireless network.
• The MAC address of the connected WiFi network.
• The MAC access, signal strength, and frequency of all nearby wireless access points.
• The MAC address, identifier, type, and two measures of signal strength of every nearby Bluetooth beacon.
• The charge level of the battery and charge status.
• Battery voltage
• GPS coordinates of the device and accuracy information.
• GPS elevation and accuracy.

If Bluetooth is enabled, devices with Location History will pick up other Bluetooth enabled devices and submit the information to Google. This means that even if you have Location History disabled on your device or don't use Android, Google may receive information about your whereabouts.

Use this Google support page to manage or delete the location history, and to turn off the location history on the device.

 

[Deleted member 65228]

And yet people think I am retarded when I say that there should be a huge change with what should be legal and illegal regarding data collection... you just couldn't make this stuff up lol

Then again it could be because my profile says I'm using McAfee. That'd make more sense

 

[MeltdownEnemy]

I'd like to know an android system without google & Samsung services, if someone knows where to find that system, then you'd be doing a big favor to many people. The first thing I want to do is to take full control of my android device and set rules for everything, I'm a little annoyed with the youtube app and others things because I tried with adguard to block advertising on youtube and I didn't get favorable results, later I installed blockada also don't work, now google has decided to trolled me. I don't want to rooting my smarthphone system with unknown apps for fear of damaging on the telephone security.

 

[DeepWeb]

And yet people think I am retarded when I say that there should be a huge change with what should be legal and illegal regarding data collection... you just couldn't make this stuff up lol

Then again it could be because my profile says I'm using McAfee. That'd make more sense

People in the EU have rights. The Commission is going after this phony stuff. But in the US, it's free for all apparently. Whoever pays the lawmakers the most.

 

[ZeroDay]

I'd like to know an android system without google & Samsung services, if someone knows where to find that system, then you'd be doing a big favor to many people. The first thing I want to do is to take full control of my android device and set rules for everything, I'm a little annoyed with the youtube app and others things because I tried with adguard to block advertising on youtube and I didn't get favorable results, later I installed blockada also don't work, now google has decided to trolled me. I don't want to rooting my smarthphone system with unknown apps for fear of damaging on the telephone security.

Install an AOSP based ROM on your Android phone think of it like using Chromium instead of Google Chrome, install F-Droid and only use non Google apps. Here you go and head over to XDA developer forums to look for an AOSP based ROM for your device: F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository Android Forum for Mobile Phones, Tablets, Watches & Android App Development - XDA Forums

 

[MeltdownEnemy]

Install an AOSP based ROM on your Android phone think of it like using Chromium instead of Google Chrome, install F-Droid and only use non Google apps. Here you go and head over to XDA developer forums to look for an AOSP based ROM for your device: F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository Android Forum for Mobile Phones, Tablets, Watches & Android App Development - XDA Forums

a little I understand, but step by step with enthusiasm your ideas be assimilated in my brain, after can be appreciated a lot, and latter shared with my friends. Thank you my friend.

 

[zzz00m]

That is creepy! And why I opt-out of location history and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth unless I am actually using it.

 

[Deleted member 65228]

People in the EU have rights. The Commission is going after this phony stuff. But in the US, it's free for all apparently. Whoever pays the lawmakers the most.

but they cannot rob me of jokessssss

McAfee was my role model on that one. They taught me that when you least expect it, the most stupid things can happen out of no where

 

[oneeye]

I'd like to know an android system without google & Samsung services, if someone knows where to find that system, then you'd be doing a big favor to many people. The first thing I want to do is to take full control of my android device and set rules for everything, I'm a little annoyed with the youtube app and others things because I tried with adguard to block advertising on youtube and I didn't get favorable results, later I installed blockada also don't work, now google has decided to trolled me. I don't want to rooting my smarthphone system with unknown apps for fear of damaging on the telephone security.

Well, I have just the thing for your YouTube watching pleasure. NewPipe apk. It's free, open source, safe, and available through F-Droid app Store. But, has no ads, with lots of features like, background play, either pop-ups (picture in picture) or just audio. Here is a link to the developers page.
NewPipe - a free YouTube client