Delete Google Maps? Go ahead, says Google, we'll still track you

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by TheWindBringeth, Sep 13, 2016.

  1. TheWindBringeth

    TheWindBringeth Registered Member

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    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/0...es_go_ahead_says_google_well_still_track_you/
     
  2. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    Slowly, one change at a time, vendors are taking control away from users. So what's next? Will they try to prevent users from completely turning off location tracking?
     
  3. TheWindBringeth

    TheWindBringeth Registered Member

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    Frankly, I wonder if some OS, browser, and/or other platform developers have already done that. Some might be leaving the platform's location service component running and phoning home location information even when the user has turned off the share location with apps, applications, websites, whatever setting.

    A followup commentary at The Register:
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/14/google_location_location_location/
     
  4. Palancar

    Palancar Registered Member

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    It seems like one easy solution is to have a rooted Android. With ROOT you can truly get rid of the play store and then simply install it again if you need to grab another app. You guys cannot believe the battery life a rooted user can get if they want crap off!!
     
  5. TheWindBringeth

    TheWindBringeth Registered Member

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    Based on some searching and [re]reading (I'm not an Android user obviously) it sounds like it is Google Play services that some want to get rid of. Looking at the table there, I can understand why. However, it appears that some of its functionality is desirable and even non-Google apps have come to require it. So few people mess with it.

    I found one comment talking about selectively exerting control over the location API via XPrivacy, plus some others, but then one saying that XPrivacy is no longer under active development. Maybe there are other ways, and the approaches wouldn't seem so troublesome if I was ramped up. However, given where I'm currently at, it sounds like achieving good infosec/privacy/user-control while using an Android device is fairly difficult and time-consuming due to Google's tentacles.

    Edit: rewrite
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2016
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