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FTR, location data is shared with Google and Apple regardless whether you use their mapping app or not: already the presence of their software on your device ca
by est31 4y ago
FTR, location data is shared with Google and Apple regardless whether you use their mapping app or not: already the presence of their software on your device causes that software to send data about the device location to them, on a regular basis. This is used for features like traffic info or how busy with visitors a shop or restaurant is at a given time of day: you usually don't have your maps app open when dining or when grocery shopping.
Furthermore, even if you somehow stopped this sending, both operate multiple network services to help devices establish their location: one bases on devices sending a list of the wifi hotspots they see plus a list of network towers they are connected to, etc. The second service is aGPS, which is a network service that helps devices to locate themselves on the basis of GPS input in a cold start situation.
On Android phones, even if you kick gapps off your phone, it will likely still use aGPS.
I still think it's good to use OSM based apps though, because that brings all the improvements/error corrections from users into OSM instead of some proprietary silo.
- feet 4y agoAre you saying that if you don't have any google apps, including the google apps framework installed on an android device, it still sends location data to google?
- est31 4y agoIt's not location data directly, but instead some measurements. I'm not sure how precise the location will be that Google obtains about you. All I know is that the name of the protocol is called SUPL, and the domain it connects to is supl.google.com. You can see it written here in a config variable, e.g. for lineage OS: https://github.com/search?q=org%3ALineageOS+supl.google.com&type=code https://github.com/search?q=org%3ALineageOS+supl.google.com&... These are some links with reading about SUPL (I haven't read them): https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/1211168566155 https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/1211168566155 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ASMS.2008.46 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ASMS.2008.46 https://www.openmobilealliance.org/release/supl/V2_0-20120417-A/OMA-AD-SUPL-V2_0-20120417-A.pdf https://www.openmobilealliance.org/release/supl/V2_0-2012041... There is a second network service for AGPS that connects to qualcomm hosted gpsonextra.net, but that IIRC just downloads a bunch of binary blobs with satellite data inside. It's not an interactive service where you send your position to it. You can find gpsonextra.net in the same gps.conf files that you can find SUPl URIs too.
- pmontra 4y agoThanks! I checked the Blockada log. I got supl.google.com called 125 times which is not much but still 125 unwanted calls if they are monitoring me (but I didn't grant location permissions.) I added it to the block list. I'll see if it breaks something.