6 ms·

Privacy activist Max Schrems claims Google Advertising ID on Android is unlawful

110 points by samizdis 6y ago

ceilingcorner 6y ago
Is there a legal difference between unlawful and illegal?
- Mindwipe 6y ago
  Illegal in particular doesn't really have a proper legal meaning in many juristictions. Generally, in lay terms, unlawful means to act in contrary to the law, so it covers anything where a) the police come after you and charge you with a crime b) a governmental body charges you with an offense or imposes a penalty for a breach of the law or c) you are in a situation where a third party can sue you and win for damages etc due to you acting in contrary to your legal obligations. Generally speaking "illegal" is only used to describe a and b, or just a. But to be honest so many people get them wrong that there's a legitimate argument that the layperson difference is meaningless nowadays.
- LatteLazy 6y ago
  The US doesn't really have the distinction legally, it's from English Common law. Something is illegal if it breaks criminal law (aka you can be punished for it). Unlawful just means something is not lawful. If you take something reasonably believing it is yours (pickup the wrong coat), you've acted unlawfully: you can be made to give the coat back or pay recompense. If you take a coat knowing it isn't yours, that's illegal. Everything illegal is unlawful, but not everything unlawful is illegal.
zibzab 6y ago
Exactly when is this ID used? Is it transmitted with every request chrome makes? What is I remove Google apps and use Firefox? Personally I think you should choose your battles. We have bigger issues with Google than this. Like the unlawful location gathering that is getting more scary every year.
- SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
  Is there any reason not to fight the privacy war on every front possible? The only way I would think one could fight a company with the resources of an entire nation state would be with as many nation states legal systems as possible.
  - Retric 6y ago
    Boycott’s have occasionally been successful. https://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2015/jan/06/boycotts-shopping-protests-activists-consumers https://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2015/jan/06/boycotts...
  - izacus 6y ago
    > Is there any reason not to fight the privacy war on every front possible? I guess the hard part of a privacy war is determining the line between desired features / convenience and protection of privacy. This line is (despite seeming so on HN) very blurry in reality. Typical example, Google Maps is commonly praised as the best navigation system because it can dynamically route around traffic based on their location data collection. Many people fighting the privacy war would demand that feature to be destroyed since it collects private data. Many people would consider that feature essential to their lives. Many people would perhaps want a better balance between those two extremes.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
- gruez 6y ago
  >Exactly when is this ID used? Is it transmitted with every request chrome makes? No, it's part of google play services, so any app installed on the phone can access it. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6048248?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...
  - tyingq 6y ago
sloshnmosh 6y ago
Baidu places a unique identifier for tracking on Androids SDcard which can be read by other apps that have storage permissions.

110 points by samizdis 6y ago

ceilingcorner 6y ago

Is there a legal difference between unlawful and illegal?

Mindwipe 6y ago
Illegal in particular doesn't really have a proper legal meaning in many juristictions. Generally, in lay terms, unlawful means to act in contrary to the law, so it covers anything where a) the police come after you and charge you with a crime b) a governmental body charges you with an offense or imposes a penalty for a breach of the law or c) you are in a situation where a third party can sue you and win for damages etc due to you acting in contrary to your legal obligations. Generally speaking "illegal" is only used to describe a and b, or just a. But to be honest so many people get them wrong that there's a legitimate argument that the layperson difference is meaningless nowadays.
LatteLazy 6y ago
The US doesn't really have the distinction legally, it's from English Common law. Something is illegal if it breaks criminal law (aka you can be punished for it). Unlawful just means something is not lawful. If you take something reasonably believing it is yours (pickup the wrong coat), you've acted unlawfully: you can be made to give the coat back or pay recompense. If you take a coat knowing it isn't yours, that's illegal. Everything illegal is unlawful, but not everything unlawful is illegal.

zibzab 6y ago

Exactly when is this ID used? Is it transmitted with every request chrome makes? What is I remove Google apps and use Firefox? Personally I think you should choose your battles. We have bigger issues with Google than this. Like the unlawful location gathering that is getting more scary every year.

SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
Is there any reason not to fight the privacy war on every front possible? The only way I would think one could fight a company with the resources of an entire nation state would be with as many nation states legal systems as possible.
- Retric 6y ago
  Boycott’s have occasionally been successful. https://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2015/jan/06/boycotts-shopping-protests-activists-consumers https://www.theguardian.com/vital-signs/2015/jan/06/boycotts...
- izacus 6y ago
  > Is there any reason not to fight the privacy war on every front possible? I guess the hard part of a privacy war is determining the line between desired features / convenience and protection of privacy. This line is (despite seeming so on HN) very blurry in reality. Typical example, Google Maps is commonly praised as the best navigation system because it can dynamically route around traffic based on their location data collection. Many people fighting the privacy war would demand that feature to be destroyed since it collects private data. Many people would consider that feature essential to their lives. Many people would perhaps want a better balance between those two extremes.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
gruez 6y ago
>Exactly when is this ID used? Is it transmitted with every request chrome makes? No, it's part of google play services, so any app installed on the phone can access it. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6048248?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...
- tyingq 6y ago

sloshnmosh 6y ago

Baidu places a unique identifier for tracking on Androids SDcard which can be read by other apps that have storage permissions.