5 ms·

Android devices send data 10x more often to Google than iOS devices to Apple

70 points by preek 8y ago

HillaryBriss 8y ago
... on an Android device, so-called "anonymous" advertising identifiers that collect activity data on apps and third-party web page visits can get associated with a user's real Google identity by the passing of device-level identification information to Google servers. IMHO this is even more disturbing than the sheer frequency of data transmission. But, I don't know if this is Google's intention or merely an inadvertent result of disorganization in the teams that deploy the many backend services operated by Google for android.
touart 8y ago
The paper is easy to read and more complete, maybe link to it directly? https://digitalcontentnext.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DCN-Google-Data-Collection-Paper.pdf https://digitalcontentnext.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DC... HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17818347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17818347
bitmapbrother 8y ago
The fact that this "study" was bought and paid for by Oracle, who own a company called Datalogix that sells user data to other companies, is delicious. https://www.infoworld.com/article/3195287/privacy/oracles-next-big-business-is-selling-your-info.html https://www.infoworld.com/article/3195287/privacy/oracles-ne...
village-idiot 8y ago
You pay Apple for services, so you’re the customer. You don’t actually pay google for its services, so you’re the product. It’s not really all that complex.
- hd4 8y ago
  There's no real reason Apple wouldn't use your data if they thought they could do so without getting caught. Anyway I thought this was all moot since Snowden happened?
  - village-idiot 8y ago
    The “without getting caught” is a pretty big thing to hand wave through. For apple, who is already making money hand over fist, this would be a catastrophically stupid decision. I’m not really interested in the “Snowden, ergo it’s all pointless” line of reasoning.
- A2017U1 8y ago
  It's not really all that simple, my only relationship with Uber, Netflix and Spotify is one of a regular paying customer and they've all been caught out doing insidious things with my personal data from their apps. Meanwhile I've flashed the foss LinageOS that doesn't phonehome every hour. I find this meme silly, no one is claiming they are the "product" after installing Ubuntu.
Roritharr 8y ago
I deteste Apple. I have a few good reasons for that, that's why I'm stuck deep in the Google Ecosystem. But boy do I have become resentful of that aswell. It's at a point where I would love to sink deeper into Microsofts fangs... There's just no alternative for the productivity focused person than to submit your soul to one of the big devils. I could spend time on going FOSS on my whole digital life, but once I'm done with that I would have mostly become someone that is "hard to deal with" for most people, the opposite someone in my position wants to be. I wonder where everything went so wrong.
- HIPisTheAnswer 8y ago
  > I wonder where everything went so wrong. Easiest question in the world: monopoly (goes under the name 'intellectual property.)
- balladeer 8y ago
  I recently wanted to share a grocery list/todo with my flatmates and I realised only I use Reminders.app which I switched to after Wunderlist news (though it's still kicking the last time I checked). Being on Mac everywhere and on iPhone since last 1.5 yrs migration was butter smooth. I realise that I have been trying to de-googlify my online presence but at the same time I am completely inside Apple's walled garden and getting deeper everyday. > someone that is "hard to deal with" for most people This is what that has kept me on WhatsApp. I don't like Signal at all and Telegram is out of the question and no one else among I know is going to switch to Matrix.org/Riot let alone XMPP/Jabber. > could spend time on going FOSS on my whole digital life I moved to mailbox.org for personal email. I noticed they have https://mailbox.org/en/your-office/ https://mailbox.org/en/your-office/ too. So I guess I'll give it a try. You could try to find something similar. Private, open, at the same time you don't have to get your hands dirty at the lowest level.
remir 8y ago
What's missing on Android is a solid and cohesive package of apps and services that could compete against Google's own stuff. This is what /e/ are trying to achieve.
Assossa 8y ago
Apple must use better compression /s

70 points by preek 8y ago

... on an Android device, so-called "anonymous" advertising identifiers that collect activity data on apps and third-party web page visits can get associated with a user's real Google identity by the passing of device-level identification information to Google servers. IMHO this is even more disturbing than the sheer frequency of data transmission. But, I don't know if this is Google's intention or merely an inadvertent result of disorganization in the teams that deploy the many backend services operated by Google for android.

touart 8y ago

The paper is easy to read and more complete, maybe link to it directly? https://digitalcontentnext.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DCN-Google-Data-Collection-Paper.pdf https://digitalcontentnext.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DC... HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17818347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17818347

bitmapbrother 8y ago

The fact that this "study" was bought and paid for by Oracle, who own a company called Datalogix that sells user data to other companies, is delicious. https://www.infoworld.com/article/3195287/privacy/oracles-next-big-business-is-selling-your-info.html https://www.infoworld.com/article/3195287/privacy/oracles-ne...

village-idiot 8y ago

You pay Apple for services, so you’re the customer. You don’t actually pay google for its services, so you’re the product. It’s not really all that complex.

hd4 8y ago
There's no real reason Apple wouldn't use your data if they thought they could do so without getting caught. Anyway I thought this was all moot since Snowden happened?
- village-idiot 8y ago
  The “without getting caught” is a pretty big thing to hand wave through. For apple, who is already making money hand over fist, this would be a catastrophically stupid decision. I’m not really interested in the “Snowden, ergo it’s all pointless” line of reasoning.
A2017U1 8y ago
It's not really all that simple, my only relationship with Uber, Netflix and Spotify is one of a regular paying customer and they've all been caught out doing insidious things with my personal data from their apps. Meanwhile I've flashed the foss LinageOS that doesn't phonehome every hour. I find this meme silly, no one is claiming they are the "product" after installing Ubuntu.

Roritharr 8y ago

I deteste Apple. I have a few good reasons for that, that's why I'm stuck deep in the Google Ecosystem. But boy do I have become resentful of that aswell. It's at a point where I would love to sink deeper into Microsofts fangs... There's just no alternative for the productivity focused person than to submit your soul to one of the big devils. I could spend time on going FOSS on my whole digital life, but once I'm done with that I would have mostly become someone that is "hard to deal with" for most people, the opposite someone in my position wants to be. I wonder where everything went so wrong.

HIPisTheAnswer 8y ago
> I wonder where everything went so wrong. Easiest question in the world: monopoly (goes under the name 'intellectual property.)
balladeer 8y ago
I recently wanted to share a grocery list/todo with my flatmates and I realised only I use Reminders.app which I switched to after Wunderlist news (though it's still kicking the last time I checked). Being on Mac everywhere and on iPhone since last 1.5 yrs migration was butter smooth. I realise that I have been trying to de-googlify my online presence but at the same time I am completely inside Apple's walled garden and getting deeper everyday. > someone that is "hard to deal with" for most people This is what that has kept me on WhatsApp. I don't like Signal at all and Telegram is out of the question and no one else among I know is going to switch to Matrix.org/Riot let alone XMPP/Jabber. > could spend time on going FOSS on my whole digital life I moved to mailbox.org for personal email. I noticed they have https://mailbox.org/en/your-office/ https://mailbox.org/en/your-office/ too. So I guess I'll give it a try. You could try to find something similar. Private, open, at the same time you don't have to get your hands dirty at the lowest level.

remir 8y ago

What's missing on Android is a solid and cohesive package of apps and services that could compete against Google's own stuff. This is what /e/ are trying to achieve.

Assossa 8y ago

Apple must use better compression /s