Leaked Emails From Google Show How Important Location Data Is To Android

[Avatard]

http://www.businessinsider.com/leake...android-2011-5

[EpyonXero]

The difference is that you can turn it off if you dont want it.

[dubbs]

Originally Posted by EpyonXero

The difference is that you can turn it off if you dont want it.

Or it shows it off, but is it really?

I can use google maps w/o gps turned on.. Guess it triangulates the location between the cell towers, so they have your location no matter what..

[derf]

Originally Posted by dubbs

Or it shows it off, but is it really?

I can use google maps w/o gps turned on.. Guess it triangulates the location between the cell towers, so they have your location no matter what..

I can too but it is very innaccurate, plus google never hid the fact that they collected gps and wifi information. Apple hid their information collection until they got caught, then they said that they didnt collect info, then admitted that 3rd party apps could

[Particle Man]

I'm sensing a pattern here.



(not so much in the thread content but the direction the thread is taking already)

[derf]

Cell companies have been collecting data on people for years, its foolish to think otherwise. How do you think they know where to increase service capacity? Where they need to put new cell phone stores? They've provably been tracking your movements as you move past cell towers, probably even your driving habits and travel habits, then sold that data to marketing companies. This is nothing new.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by derf

Cell companies have been collecting data on people for years, its foolish to think otherwise. How do you think they know where to increase service capacity? Where they need to put new cell phone stores? They've provably been tracking your movements as you move past cell towers, probably even your driving habits and travel habits, then sold that data to marketing companies. This is nothing new.

Reselling data is not that bad, provided the data is aggregate, or anonymous.

Selling, or even compiling specific and sensitive location data that could compromise a person's security without the full consent of the user, and then even reselling that data without concern for how it may be used is rather clearly NOT OK.

[derf]

Not that I believe anything that any for profit company says, but all cell phone info is anonymous and has no identifying info. However if you keep pinging teh same tower location, and the 1x a week that your GPS is used, and whenever you turn wifi on it registers in the exact same spot, its not really hard to find your exact location to within 10 meters.

All in all I do believe that all these super large companies are evil and are out to get you. I also believe that they do a shity job providing for your data security. They are out to make a dollar, and it doesnt matter what it cost you as long as it doesnt hurt their bottom line.

[101lifts2]

I use a work phone...that is only tied to the company name.

[derf]

I use a personal cell, that is tied to my name, and if it didnt kill the battery in 4 hours I would leave wifi and gps on all the time.