Be careful, Google knows more about you than you can imagine!

[Raja_MBZ]

This is creepy; I'm sure that I never turned on anything named as "Location History":



"Explore Timeline" gives me a list of about 37 places that I visited in 2017-18!

Should we stop using Android?

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[mdayonliner]

Well it sucks. They are stealing our information without even asking us and reality is you can not do anything about it or can you?

Should we stop using Android? Roll Eyes

What do you want to use? IOS?

Question is - can you afford not to use android or IOS?

Welcome to the centralized corporate world. Everything is legal here once you are one of the fortune 500.

[Raja_MBZ]

Well it sucks. They are stealing our information without even asking us and reality is you can not do anything about it or can you?

Should we stop using Android? Roll Eyes

What do you want to use? IOS?

Question is - can you afford not to use android or IOS?

Welcome to the centralized corporate world. Everything is legal here once you are one of the fortune 500.

True; even though we're aware that these services are dangerous for a number of reasons, we cannot just stop using them. The situation looks similar to closed-source centralized exchanges. Right now, you cannot afford to trade on open-source decentralized exchanges as they're too crappy to be used. However, the question is, "when will the world understand the power of decentralization and stop using such centralized services?" I guess it'll only take about 5 years (by that time, we'll have a lot of good and well-developed decentralized options available).

[CristianOff]

Sorry mister but did you get up now?
I don't know if you are from the USA but in Europe the GDPR was introduced
which allows you to decide what information companies can collect about you.
While Google may have all the information of how I used my smarphone and where
I've been before 25th May 2018, I can guarantee that they do not know anything
about me since then.

Oh and by the way, did you guys notice that 'free companies' start charging since
they can't sell your data anymore? Why does YouTube have now a payment plan?
Are we going to see Google charging users based on number of searches?
Did I mention how WhatsApp will be introducing ads in the near future?

[LTU_btc]

The Big Brother is watching you. I checked history of my phone location and it's empty, because I have location history turned off. I only can see current location of my phone. Despite that I have location history turned off, Google probably still knows where I've been today, yesterday or month ago.
I don't know why, but I'm not so concerned about my privacy. Maybe because I'm not very important person who have many things to hide. Offcourse, these privacy issues is coming more serious eventually, but it gives some benefits. Just one example - what if I lose my phone one day or someone will steal it? I would be able to see my lost phone location on Google Maps, lock my phone or just delete all data in my phone without having it in my hands. If you want to have benefits like this one, you have to pay price of privacy.

[jhongzjhong]

What are you so alarmed with it?
Did you try to check if that email is really legitimate? You should have checked that.
And why does Google needed you to see your timeline if their interest is to keep/store your data for commercial purposes?
Before Google gets your information, there's an agreement that you need to be legally agreed. Don't worry and don't feel anxious about it.

[TryNinja]

Did you try to check if that email is really legitimate? You should have checked that.

It is legit.

And why does Google needed you to see your timeline if their interest is to keep/store your data for commercial purposes?

Because "it's cool" to see where you've been through the whole year.

Before Google gets your information, there's an agreement that you need to be legally agreed. Don't worry and don't feel anxious about it.

And those say that they can use your data to through you targeted ads.

[gentlemand]

I'm so miserly with battery and data that 99% of the time my phone is in airplane mode and certainly no GPS. I mainly use it as a book reader and take the occasional photo. I don't want to talk to anyone with it. I'm sure that doesn't stop them attempting to scoop up info where they can.

It's the covert listening that intrigues me most. There are lots of people who are adamant that the things they discuss out loud in passing near their phones turn up in ads a short time later.

[countryfree]

Hey! You can fight!
On my smartphone, mobile data is turned off, and it has always been like this.
Then, Contacts, Gmail, Google, Maps and plenty other apps are disabled.
It just take some time to learn how to fine tune your phone, and google won't know that much about you.

[cabalism13]

Well it sucks. They are stealing our information without even asking us and reality is you can not do anything about it or can you?

Actually there is. Use an anfroid or an IOS then dont even think about connecting to the internet. Never use it as in Never.

Well, if only you can hold back for not connecting Just use the old style of communication : SMS

Welcome to the centralized corporate world. Everything is legal here once you are one of the fortune 500.

That really sucks even though its the reality.

[Tavarez]

Google is pure evil, there were numerous incidents like: data leaking (access to private documents through the bug in google docs), cookies that they place in our computers to track person's web browsing habits. Google analytics and tracking our IP addresses. definitely they know lot.
p.s. almost forgot gmail accounts (they can read our mail). But I guess the other clients are not safe as well.

[UserU]

When you signed up for an account, you should be aware they have the rights to handle your data...

On the flip side, their assessments and guides are pretty helpful in times of need.

[MoonCrypt]

Google has become part of most individuals life!! how can one avoid using the Google products, or ensure your data is safe?

use VPN services at least to give another location if your location service is not turned off from the session!!
also, there are apps called fly GPS that can emulate any location you want to be... so in that way if they want to keep stealing data without permission
try to ensure the data they get is not authentic

[Vod]

I love the Google reports.  I recently got my 2018 travel report and the statistics are so incredible and detailed.  

I feel it's useless to worry about such things.  I didn't attempt to hide my real name when I registered here, even though I scam bust and am hated by many - and I don't attempt to hide where I travel.

I turn off tracking on my phone, and I am still captured a thousand times a day by cameras no matter what I do.  My BPIP website should show that I am in favour of collecting and analyzing data.

Why stress over it?

[Pmalek]

Even if you turn off location services you can still be tracked. You can be triangulated based on the cell tower your phone is connected to. When you move towards the location of a new cell tower your location can now be triangulated based on the new cell tower's location.

But that is not all.
Most people use Smart Phones nowadays. So besides being tracked using GSM or WIFI networks you can also be tracked due to the different sensors available in your phone.

Take a look at this article:
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-track-a-cellphone-without-gps-or-consent-1821125371

It says you can get tracked

using your phone’s internal compass, an air pressure reading, a few free-to-download maps, and a weather report.

It goes on and says:

Your cellphone comes equipped with an amazing array of compact sensors that are more or less collecting information about your environment at all time. An accelerometer can tell how fast you’re moving; a magnetometer can detect your orientation in relation to true north; and a barometer can measure the air pressure in your surrounding environment. You phone also freely offers up a slew of non-sensory data such as your device’s IP address, timezone, and network status (whether you’re connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network.)

[AuroraHF]

Decentralization and privacy are king. Projects like Monero, Sylo, ZenCash etc will help reclaim aspects of our privacy back. A good alternative to Google is DuckDuckGo.

[plasmodesmata]

that's why I switched to ecosia.com
it plants trees as I search and hopefully isnt as information invasive as google

[plasmodesmata]

Even if you turn off location services you can still be tracked. You can be triangulated based on the cell tower your phone is connected to. When you move towards the location of a new cell tower your location can now be triangulated based on the new cell tower's location.

But that is not all.
Most people use Smart Phones nowadays. So besides being tracked using GSM or WIFI networks you can also be tracked due to the different sensors available in your phone.

Take a look at this article:
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-track-a-cellphone-without-gps-or-consent-1821125371

It says you can get tracked

using your phone’s internal compass, an air pressure reading, a few free-to-download maps, and a weather report.

It goes on and says:

Your cellphone comes equipped with an amazing array of compact sensors that are more or less collecting information about your environment at all time. An accelerometer can tell how fast you’re moving; a magnetometer can detect your orientation in relation to true north; and a barometer can measure the air pressure in your surrounding environment. You phone also freely offers up a slew of non-sensory data such as your device’s IP address, timezone, and network status (whether you’re connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network.)

a very good reason to NOT have a cell phone!

[countryfree]

Even if you turn off location services you can still be tracked. You can be triangulated based on the cell tower your phone is connected to. When you move towards the location of a new cell tower your location can now be triangulated based on the new cell tower's location.

There's a huge difference.
Apps use location data from your smartphone and they may send it in the cloud somewhere, or to third parties unknown to you, whereas cell tower information is only known by your phone company and the police.

[Raja_MBZ]

The Big Brother is watching you. I checked history of my phone location and it's empty, because I have location history turned off. I only can see current location of my phone. Despite that I have location history turned off, Google probably still knows where I've been today, yesterday or month ago.
I don't know why, but I'm not so concerned about my privacy. Maybe because I'm not very important person who have many things to hide. Offcourse, these privacy issues is coming more serious eventually, but it gives some benefits. Just one example - what if I lose my phone one day or someone will steal it? I would be able to see my lost phone location on Google Maps, lock my phone or just delete all data in my phone without having it in my hands. If you want to have benefits like this one, you have to pay price of privacy.

Privacy-stealing companies are standing strong because of people like you, the people who're not very concerned about their privacy. Google doesn't need our 2-years of location data to tell us where our mobile phone is currently located.

Understand the "true price of privacy" mate!

Are you ready? Here is all the data Facebook and Google have on you

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/28/all-the-data-facebook-google-has-on-you-privacy