Google's iOS and Android Apps Track and Store Location Data With Location History Disabled

[spinedoc77]

Yet again another reason why I'm happy with my iPhone as another almost daily Google scandal unfolds. It's fascinating to see how so many don't really care at all because Android of course continues to sell on a heck of a lot of phones.

What I'm curious about is how Apple is allowing this? Apple seems to be pretty strict on its privacy controls, and it looks like Google is totally bypassing them even when the user turns them off.

 

[AppleScruff1]

along with all of the rest of their users.

Which way would you rather it be?

If it was your child that had been molested, which way would you rather it be?

 

[Sikh]

Still wipes the floor with Apple Maps and I need to use it.

this isnt 2012. when I see posts like yours, I see how ignorant some people still are. Ive been using maps and google maps side by side and maps is just as accurate if not more. Apple also answers to reports of places faster than google. My last place couldnt be found by google maps and they sent me to some place 20 minutes away. Apple maps marked my place but it was on the main road outside it, i put a report in and within 4 days next time I mapped home, they had it fixed.

have you tried apple maps recently or are you just ignorant and dont expect apple to fix maps?
[doublepost=1534217975][/doublepost]

Unlike Apple, Google allow you to see, remove and disable the data. As a matter of fact, on Android you can remain anonymous and not sign into Android unlike iOS that requires signing in and everything tracked to iCloud. Still no excuse for Siri, Apple Maps, etc. for being so crappy.

everything tracked to icloud? dah f are you talking about? Apple cares more about your privacy than Android and not signing into Android is a big joke. You still have to sign in to download apps and if you side load, thats a bigger risk. Good try on saying Google is better than Apple thou, lmao

 

[0947347]

But it sucks

No, it doesn’t!

And let’s end up this quarrel like reasonable adults, calling each other “no, you are a poopy pants”

 

[ipponrg]

Ive been using maps and google maps side by side and maps is just as accurate if not more.

You forgot to mention the word, subjectively.

 

[groadyho]

this isnt 2012. when I see posts like yours, I see how ignorant some people still are. Ive been using maps and google maps side by side and maps is just as accurate if not more. Apple also answers to reports of places faster than google. My last place couldnt be found by google maps and they sent me to some place 20 minutes away. Apple maps marked my place but it was on the main road outside it, i put a report in and within 4 days next time I mapped home, they had it fixed.

have you tried apple maps recently or are you just ignorant and dont expect apple to fix maps?
[doublepost=1534217975][/doublepost]

everything tracked to icloud? dah f are you talking about? Apple cares more about your privacy than Android and not signing into Android is a big joke. You still have to sign in to download apps and if you side load, thats a bigger risk. Good try on saying Google is better than Apple thou, lmao

I guess that depends, Apple maps not long ago took us over 100 miles out of our way on a trip from Fla to Co.
Google maps had to get us home.
Google never got me lost

 

[ipponrg]

We use a total of zero Google apps and services in our home or on our devices.

It's ok. Your ISP, the government, your credit card company, Apple, any online service, etc are all capable of tracking you.

 

[dantroline]

Enough of a reason to ditch android and all google apps

Unlike Apple, Google allow you to see, remove and disable the data. As a matter of fact, on Android you can remain anonymous and not sign into Android unlike iOS that requires signing in and everything tracked to iCloud. Still no excuse for Siri, Apple Maps, etc. for being so crappy.

This is right. We just don't know what Apple collects. I am not defending Google, you still have to be prepared to root a phone and remove the Google apps from it if you respect your privacy at all, but we should all take a moment to consider who knows our whereabouts: The phone company, the people that wrote the OS, and then anyone who the OS lets. You can flip whatever software switch you like, but you definitely cannot ever be sure whether the people that wrote the OS are not keeping tabs on you. Assume that they do.

 

[jeremiah256]

It’s not about something to hide. It’s about something to lose. Privacy is, or should be, a basic human right.

I may or may not agree with you, depending on your definition of 'privacy'. If you don't put any effort into protecting your privacy, can you then cry about having that privacy invaded? Your example about curtains, for example. If you lived on the first floor of an apartment and didn't purchase and perform the work of hanging curtains, could you claim your privacy was being invaded if someone stood on the public sidewalk and took a picture of you picking your nose and posting it on the internet?

 

[MarkB786]

Old news, actually. Many folks who use Google timeline have known about this for a long time.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Time for Margrethe Vestager to slap Google with another billion dollar fine... lol

That's pocket change. They should slap them with a 20 billion dollar fine to make it hurt.

 

[pipis2010]

Some Google apps on iOS and Android devices continue to store location history even with the setting disabled, according to a new AP report citing data collected by computer science researchers at Princeton.

Location History, a feature available in Google apps like Google Maps, is an option that allows the app to display the locations that you've visited in a timeline. Princeton researcher Gunnar Acar turned off the Location History option in his Google account, but his devices continued to record the locations he had visited.

Data collected from a Princeton researcher on an Android phone with Location History disabled​

It appears that even with Location History paused, some Google apps are ignoring the setting and continue to store time-stamped location data, due to confusing data collection policies that allow other app features to also store location information.While Princeton's research focused on Android devices, independent AP testing confirmed that iPhones are exhibiting the same behavior when used with Google apps.

In response to a query about the Location History tracking, Google said that it is clear about its location policies. As it turns out though, the way Google collects location data is confusing and misleading.According to Google, users need to turn off "Web and App Activity," a setting enabled by default, to prevent all location data on iOS and Android devices from being saved to a Google account. Leaving "Web and App Activity" enabled while turning off "Location History" prevents Google from adding movements to the built-in timeline, but it does not stop Google from collecting other location information.

This location data collected by Google can be found under myactivity.google.com, but as the AP points out, this information is scattered under different headers often unrelated to location.

To be clear, Google is not illicitly collecting location data, but it is obfuscating its location data policies and collecting data through features that do not mention location information. Many people may not know these Google features are enabled at all, as it's a default setting.

Google's only mention that it may continue storing some location data is in a popup that appears when Location History is disabled through the Google account settings. This popup states that "some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other Google services, like Search and Maps."

On iPhone, when Location History is disabled via settings in Google apps, it says "None of your Google apps will be able to store location data in Location History." As the AP points out, this statement is true but misleading, because while location data isn't stored in Location History, it's still stored under "My Activity."

Location information stored in "My Activity" is used for ad targeting purposes.

Both "Web and App Activity" and "Location History" need to be disabled to prevent Google from collecting any location data, which can be done through the user settings of a Google account. On iOS devices, not using Google apps and disabling location services for Google apps is also an effective method for preventing Google from collecting location data.

Article Link: Google's iOS and Android Apps Track and Store Location Data With Location History Disabled

Why is this surprising?

 

[Jimmy James]

I may or may not agree with you, depending on your definition of 'privacy'. If you don't put any effort into protecting your privacy, can you then cry about having that privacy invaded? Your example about curtains, for example. If you lived on the first floor of an apartment and didn't purchase and perform the work of hanging curtains, could you claim your privacy was being invaded if someone stood on the public sidewalk and took a picture of you picking your nose and posting it on the internet?

In the context of this discussion Google is collecting information when people believed they had opted out if it. They thought the blinds were closed and the door was locked. That is a naive approach but the implementation was misleading nonetheless.

 

[coolfactor]

Actually yes

https://www.cultofmac.com/91269/starting-with-ios-4-your-iphone-has-been-secretly-tracking-you/

Careful there. Here's a fact you may have missed:

The good news here is that the information being stored isn’t being sent to Apple, or any other third-parties. It just sits on your computer.

 

[jeremiah256]

In the context of this discussion Google is collecting information when people believed they had opted out if it. They thought the blinds were closed and the door was locked. That is a naive approach but the implementation was misleading nonetheless.

I understand and I agree that in this case, Google was wrong.

What I want to be clear on is that many people seem to think all internet activity is or should be private. The internet was not conceived nor built with privacy in mind. The internet by default is a public sidewalk. Every step along the way is tracked and it takes effort on the user's part to use it privately. And by going to a website or using an app, you are no longer in your house, but theirs. They should let you know if they are collecting data (and I believe the EU mandates this is announced), but for the most part, you play by their rules.

Privacy on the internet takes work. You may have the right to privacy, but like putting up curtains, it's an active function and will not be handed to you.

 

[clystron]

You don't need any fancy "Location Services" to get the location of a web client. You just need an ip, and ip's are REQUIRED for a web connection.

Having an IP is a long way from having (accurate) latitude/longitude, especially when using a mobile device. Matching an IP to a country is not hard but that does not mean you even know in what city the user is in. Some providers here even use NAT for mobile devices meaning you share your (dynamic) official IP with other users.

 

[simonmet]

I try not to use google if I can help it. However, the social icons allow their respective properties to track me in some manner. Plus, everyone uses google analytics. At this point the only way to disable tracking is to surf without Javascript.

I use the JS Blocker extension by Toggleable in Safari. It does a pretty good job of blocking unnecessary tracking scripts while enabling only the barest minimum required to make a website function, all automatically with no user input required unless you encounter a problem, which I don't think I ever have.

For example, on this page you can see it's allowing Google's Ajax API but blocking a whole bunch of unnecessary tracking scripts. The extension is quite cumbersome and perhaps even a bit intimidating at first, but it has a lot of customisation. I recommend enabling the "Fanboy's Ultimate" rule list as well as "EasyMalware" and "Peter Lowe's Ad List", whatever that is. I also recommend checking out features in the "Other" tab and testing those. I put Canvas fingerprinting protection to "Always protect" but it's doubtful how effective that is as canvas websites always identify my setup as unique.

Coupled with an ad blocker and regular clearing of cookies I notice very little/next to no creepy or stalky tracking behaviour other than the location they can get from IP, which is quite course* and not particularly bothersome as it allows most websites to set the country correctly. Of course, while visiting YouTube, even if you're not logged in it tracks you via cookies and adjusts its "recommended" ads for you, but deleting the cookies resets that. Also, there's just no way around eBay tracking your behaviour while logged in. I tried to tighten its settings but for some reason it seems to think I like Womens Belts when I've only ever bought for myself.

Sorry this reply went on a bit of a rant but perhaps the information is useful.

*NB: I checked IP location websites and none of them were very accurate, the best being about 5 km away and the worst about 100 km. You can use VPNs if this bothers you to obfuscate it further.

 

[pratikindia]

Google needs to be fined $100b by EU, then they would learn about privacy. Google was evil, is evil and will be evil.

It's good that I don't have any Google app on my phone.

 

[dilbert99]

Exactly. I cannot fathom how people can use Google services anymore. All their services have decent alternatives (yes even search).

Now they’re are double dipping: ads/tracking and premium prices on hardware... Do no evil my ass.

Because they are free and convenient.

 

[mingravity]

An alternative to google search for users who value their privacy in this day and age, should try duckduckgo instead. Google is an evil company and I'm sure they're a company that has deep ties with the shadow government like most other owned and operated corporations out there. Instead of depending on Google for mail, use Apple's instead.

Privacy should be a big concern for everyone this day and age, we're slowly losing our freedom and rights. We all need to stick together and do something about this. Definitely educate our younger generation, which are easily getting drawn into this habit.

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, most of these sites are under control by the shadow government. People should've woken up a long time ago about this stuff. Sad that there are still a majority who are still asleep or just don't want to know what's really happening in this world. You guys need to stop believing everything you see on the media and TV these days. That's a propaganda tool for the shadow government to brainwash and mind control the masses. I pray for those people who are easily misled.

I defo second DuckDuckGo. I use it as default search engine. tbh i do switch to google every now and then for better results. But DuckDuckGo does 90% of the job specially if your majority search is tech stuff (for me IT related).

 

[MacBH928]

The only thing Orwell was wrong about was that people will install the monitoring devices themselves, with their own money, and they will be happy about it.

We provide clear descriptions of these tools, and robust controls so people can turn them on or off, and delete their histories at any time.

They should be OFF by default, and people choose to opt in. Being ON by default and people not knowing its collecting data on them is not a choice.
Thats like having a camera built in your hotel room that you have to turn OFF once you check in, but people didn't know there was a camera hidden in the AC vent. but it was mentioned in 3 words in the 60 page tiny text papers you had to sign at the reception before getting the keys.

Exactly. I cannot fathom how people can use Google services anymore. All their services have decent alternatives (yes even search).

Now they’re are double dipping: ads/tracking and premium prices on hardware... Do no evil my ass.

This is not true. There is no alternative to YouTube. The only alternative to Android is iPhone(not much choice), and as for Gmail, you can't abandon that one because you have to go back with every place/service you registered with using that e-mail to change it to your new email which is a hectic process more than you think.

its like changing your home address and now you have to go to all the phone companies, cable, energy, banks, schools, friends, business contacts, and tell them that you changed your address.

Other alternatives are data collectors too like Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo... its just that Apple is more careful with your data but they will hand it over if required by law-even if you are innocent.

 

[redgreenski]

That’s why I degoogled myself long time ago.
Google -> DuckDuckGo
Gmail -> Outlook
Docs -> Office
Yeah you oh microsoft $60 per year but so you pay apple $1000 a year.

 

[davester]

One dark, deceptive and secretive company.

 

[adamjackson]

Just a reminder, Waze is owned by Google.

 

[jona2125]

Careful there. Here's a fact you may have missed:

Oh no worries I didn't miss that. I know it wasn't sent to Apple but there wasn't much protection on the data where it was stored which could be left open to anyone wiling to try and get it. Now it's called "Significant Locations" and just because it's local storage doesn't mean I still trust Apple from deciding they'd like to pry and pull my info at random.