Android phone users...*** Creepy Google Alert ***

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JeromeK99

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Last week my Android phone started doing something that kind of creeped me out.

I usually check my phone for missed calls, texts and emails in the morning before leaving for work. I noticed that I had a message from Google Maps telling me traffic conditions and estimated commute time to work.... I thought, ok, cool... wait.... How does my phone know where I live and that I am going to work? :eyepop: It knows my route to work? It knows where I work?? :eyepop: I have never told it any of this information. Google has been spying on me and compiling all this data and has now gleaned enough to have useful data?? :y:

I guess I really don't care too much.. just sort of took me by surprise when I first noticed and actually thought about it. I use Google for all its worth both personally and at work... so if they want to collect data and some how make a profit from it... go ahead..

Oh ya.. it also hits me up at just before 5pm when I'm getting ready to go home from work letting me know traffic and estimated travel time. :surprised:

Creepy... Big Brother is really here! Sort of makes me want to keep it in a lead box when not in use....


Jerome :cool:
 
Nothing new... They've been doing this for a while now. You can disable the tracking but then you will find that none of the apps will work.
All phones sold now MUST have GPS. They say it's for our protection, to help find us if we are in trouble, but the main reason is to track/keep tabs on each one of us at any given time... Part of the NWO. There is no such thing as privacy any more, at least if you want the modern conveniences todays technology has to offer. With the good comes the bad.
 
No problems with that here, I haven't had a cell phone for around 15 years now. Bastiches can just cry about not being able to track me. It pisses me off enough that my shopping habits can be tracked. I'm on SSI and the funds come in every month on a debit card. I pull most of the money off of it in cash and buy things then. I don't like looking at something on the computer then I suddenly start getting popup ads concentrating on what I just looked at. I can tell you that I don't appriceate after looking at $350 refergerators getting ads for $1000 ones....

Guess it's time for the rest of the curmudgeons to weigh in ;)
 
Well- we seem to have foxed ourselves. With pollution like it is (and the laws against it) I would guess smoke signals are out. Given every 20-something has a car with amplifiers capable of levitating the car, jungle drums are now worthless. PETA would most assuredly sue any Pony Express endeavour and given local zoning laws and utility company 'greening' telegraph lines are mostly out. I've been practicing my telepathy, but periodically, Aunt Martha has been interrupted by cat food commercials. The youth America seems to need reminders we built an entire COUNTRY without cell phones. Luddites arise!
 
That happens to me every once in awhile. I even have the GPS and data shut off. I shut both off to save battery.
 
That happens to me every once in awhile. I even have the GPS and data shut off. I shut both off to save battery.

Even with GPS turned off, the cellular network can locate your position with some degree of accuracy by using data from the cell towers that can see your phone's signal.

-Kevin
 
Even with GPS turned off, the cellular network can locate your position with some degree of accuracy by using data from the cell towers that can see your phone's signal.

The phones also use WiFi to determine location based on SSIDs broadcasting in the area.

-- Roger
 
Last week my Android phone started doing something that kind of creeped me out.

I usually check my phone for missed calls, texts and emails in the morning before leaving for work. I noticed that I had a message from Google Maps telling me traffic conditions and estimated commute time to work.... I thought, ok, cool... wait.... :y::cool:

It's a part of the Google Search app called Google Now which is displaying those "cards." You can turn it on or off in the Google Search settings menu.

Google Now does a lot more than display those cards. It's really quite cool. I'm sure Google won't appreciate me describing it as their version of Apple's Siri, but that's pretty much what it is.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Now

Google Now is also available in the Google Search app for iOS. I'm not sure how Siri feels about that.

-- Roger
 
The phones also use WiFi to determine location based on SSIDs broadcasting in the area.

-- Roger


Yep this info is correct.

When the Google Map truck pass in the neighborhood they also scan for SSID's and other info. This info can be plugged into google maps to find out where someone lives.

scenario: Hacker breaks into your computer gets on your network and checks your router (or hack your router) pull the info from the router and then can use that info on google maps to find out where you live. Now the internet stalker knows where you live. Thanks google for making my life easier.....
 
I have also heard that they can listen in on your conversations while your phone is not in use. The best way to "be safe" is to turn the phone off and remove the battery!
 
scenario: Hacker breaks into your computer gets on your network and checks your router (or hack your router) pull the info from the router and then can use that info on google maps to find out where you live. Now the internet stalker knows where you live. Thanks google for making my life easier.....

If a hacker has broken into your computer, he probably has much easier ways of determining your location.

And you can hide your SSID (or add "_nomap" to the end of it) to prevent it from being used by the location services.

-- Roger
 
I'm not the paranoid type and usually don't care too much about privacy peeping, but I got really fed up with Google's intrusiveness about 2 years ago and dumped all things Google, except the occasional YouTube videos. <soapbox> I now use a Windows phone and I love it and I love Microsoft's privacy policy. I know they get a lot of crap for being big and slow but I like going to my Outlook and Live accounts and not having ads from the last 10 sites I visited popping up on the page. I like knowing that they're not scanning my emails so they can target ads to me based on my private conversations. I love Window's phone - it's fun and very intuitive (and Cortana is the schnizzle). It's a smaller ecosystem but the only "real" apps I'm missing are small banks and small businesses - but they all have mobile sites, so no big deal. All of my information is stored on my local devices or in my account on the cloud and only sent to Microsoft for processing when I need it or ask for it. It's a breath of fresh air in today's intrusive electronics ecosystem. </soapbox>

Now if only I could get a TRF app for my phone or get TapaTalk access back.:eyeroll:
 
I like going to my Outlook and Live accounts and not having ads from the last 10 sites I visited popping up on the page.

GMail's website displays ads (as does Microsoft's Outlook.com). But, neither the GMail app or the standard Android email app display ads.

-- Roger
 
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GMail's website displays ads (as does Microsoft's Outlook.com). But, neither the GMail app or the standard Android email app display ads.

-- Roger
I know the websites have ads. My point was Google reads all your email, targets ads based off it, whereas Microsoft doesn't read your email. Ads on outlook.com are randomly selected. I like that they leave me alone.
 
If a hacker has broken into your computer, he probably has much easier ways of determining your location.

And you can hide your SSID (or add "_nomap" to the end of it) to prevent it from being used by the location services.

-- Roger

True, but this is a rocket forum and not a hacking one, so I'll stop.
 
Now if only I could get a TRF app for my phone


Hmmm.... I write Windows Phone apps. Is there a place or someone I should talk to to find out what the software is that runs the board and whether or not it has an API?
 
Smart phones represent the largest, most pervasive sensor array in the world (location, voice/audio, video, etc.) and most people are never more than several yards from their phone. If you want to go off grid, you have to remove the battery. Simply turning the device off is not sufficient.

Think about it.
 
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