4 ms·

Many of the youtube comments were people asking if he turned off location tracking... does anyone here know if that would be an effective countermeasure?

lern_too_spel 7y ago
Yes. The reporter didn't understand the difference between airplane mode and Google Location Services. If you turn off the latter, the location upload won't happen, and you can still get your GPS location if you want it. iOS has the same location services system, but you cannot disable it if you want to get your location.
- tinus_hn 7y ago
  One difference is that your location is not associated with your identity, it’s associated with a random ID that automatically refreshes every few days.
  - legacynl 7y ago
    Except that it has been demonstrated that no amount of 'anonymization' or 'pseudonimization' is effective at actually disconnecting the data from the person. With enough data, you can figure out who's who even with this 'randomID'. Simple example: A random user with ID 'aaa' will provide location data throughout the day. This provides you with the means to figure out where they work, how late they get up, what their average walking speed is, etc. One day the user get's a new randomID 'bbb'. At first glance there is no connection between 'aaa' and 'bbb'. But from a specific day 'aaa' stops transmitting data, and 'bbb' starts transmitting data. 'bbb' will submit the same data and thus you can figure out for example their walking speeds and place of work. This means 'aaa''s data will match 'bbb''s. Looking at the datetime when the switchover happened you could deduce that 'aaa' and 'bbb' are probably the same. With more data points you can increase your accuracy. IE: with sufficiently large datasets (which they have), no amount of anonymization works (which they know).
  - lern_too_spel 7y ago
    Google's location services data is also not associated with your identity. The only difference is that you can disable this collection on Android, and you can't disable it in iOS.
- p49k 7y ago
  A distinction that almost no end user would realistically be expected to know and which Google doesn’t bother to inform users about in clear terms in the UI.
  - lern_too_spel 7y ago
    A user understands the difference between turning on airplane mode when they get on the airplane and turning off location services, which is described on first setup.
- latexr 7y ago
  > The reporter didn't understand the difference between airplane mode and Google Location Services. If you turn off the latter, the location upload won't happen “Google collects Android users’ locations even when location services are disabled”: https://qz.com/1131515/google-collects-android-users-locations-even-when-location-services-are-disabled/ https://qz.com/1131515/google-collects-android-users-locatio...
  - lern_too_spel 7y ago
    It collects iOS users' locations in those situations (local search, Google Maps usage, etc.) also. Location Services is a particular AGPS system that is separate from specific apps. Unlike iOS, Android lets you disable the AGPS system from collecting your location and is strictly better for privacy in that regard.

lern_too_spel 7y ago

Yes. The reporter didn't understand the difference between airplane mode and Google Location Services. If you turn off the latter, the location upload won't happen, and you can still get your GPS location if you want it. iOS has the same location services system, but you cannot disable it if you want to get your location.

tinus_hn 7y ago
One difference is that your location is not associated with your identity, it’s associated with a random ID that automatically refreshes every few days.
- legacynl 7y ago
  Except that it has been demonstrated that no amount of 'anonymization' or 'pseudonimization' is effective at actually disconnecting the data from the person. With enough data, you can figure out who's who even with this 'randomID'. Simple example: A random user with ID 'aaa' will provide location data throughout the day. This provides you with the means to figure out where they work, how late they get up, what their average walking speed is, etc. One day the user get's a new randomID 'bbb'. At first glance there is no connection between 'aaa' and 'bbb'. But from a specific day 'aaa' stops transmitting data, and 'bbb' starts transmitting data. 'bbb' will submit the same data and thus you can figure out for example their walking speeds and place of work. This means 'aaa''s data will match 'bbb''s. Looking at the datetime when the switchover happened you could deduce that 'aaa' and 'bbb' are probably the same. With more data points you can increase your accuracy. IE: with sufficiently large datasets (which they have), no amount of anonymization works (which they know).
- lern_too_spel 7y ago
  Google's location services data is also not associated with your identity. The only difference is that you can disable this collection on Android, and you can't disable it in iOS.
p49k 7y ago
A distinction that almost no end user would realistically be expected to know and which Google doesn’t bother to inform users about in clear terms in the UI.
- lern_too_spel 7y ago
  A user understands the difference between turning on airplane mode when they get on the airplane and turning off location services, which is described on first setup.
latexr 7y ago
> The reporter didn't understand the difference between airplane mode and Google Location Services. If you turn off the latter, the location upload won't happen “Google collects Android users’ locations even when location services are disabled”: https://qz.com/1131515/google-collects-android-users-locations-even-when-location-services-are-disabled/ https://qz.com/1131515/google-collects-android-users-locatio...
- lern_too_spel 7y ago
  It collects iOS users' locations in those situations (local search, Google Maps usage, etc.) also. Location Services is a particular AGPS system that is separate from specific apps. Unlike iOS, Android lets you disable the AGPS system from collecting your location and is strictly better for privacy in that regard.