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Idle Android Devices Send Data to Google Nearly 10 Times More Often Than iOS Devices do to Apple, Research Finds
Idle Android devices typically send data ten times more often to Google than iOS devices do to Apple's servers, according to new research shared by trade association Digital Content Next.
In a paper titled "Google Data Collection," Douglas C. Schmidt, a computer science professor at Vanderbilt University, arrives at some stark conclusions regarding how much Google is collecting about consumers who use the company's products, even when they aren't interacting with their smartphones and tablets.
Among several findings, Schmidt's experiments found that an idle Android phone with Chrome web browser active in the background communicated location information to Google 340 times during a 24-hour period. An equivalent experiment found that on an iOS device with Safari open but not Chrome, Google could not collect any appreciable data unless a user was interacting with the device.
In addition, he found that an idle Android phone running Chrome sends back to Google nearly fifty times as many data requests per hour as an idle iPhone running Safari. Overall, an idle Android device was found to communicate with Google nearly 10 times more often than an Apple device communicates with Apple servers.
As well as data transmission frequencies, Schmidt's research also turned up some of the ways that Google can potentially tie together anonymous data collected through passive means with the personal information of its users.
For example, 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.
The same goes for the supposedly user-anonymous DoubleClick cookie ID, which tracks a user's activity on third-party web pages. According to Schmidt's research, Google can associate the cookie to a user's Google account when a user accesses a Google app in the same browser that a third-party web page was accessed.
The research follows a recent investigation conducted by the Associated Press which revealed that Google continues to track location data even after a consumer has turned off the setting in many of its apps, including Google Maps.
In response to a query about location history tracking, Google said that it is clear about its location policies, yet the company continues to collect data through app features that come under "My Activity" even when its "Location History" setting is turned off. The practice has since led to a class action lawsuit against the company by a user arguing breach of privacy.
Location information stored in "My Activity" is used for ad targeting purposes, which is still Google's primary business model. In contrast, Apple uses differential privacy to gather anonymous usage insights from devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs, allowing it to crowdsource data from a large number of users without compromising the privacy of any individual.
Apple says the data it collects off-device is used to improve services like Siri suggestions, and to help identify problematic websites that use excessive power or too much memory in Safari, but the data is randomized before being sent from devices, so that its servers never see or receive raw data from users.
When users set up their device, Apple explicitly asks users if they wish to provide usage information on an opt-in basis. If a user declines, no data is collected by Apple unless they choose to opt in at a later time.
Apple executives have said several times that Apple customers are not the company's product, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has maintained that privacy is a fundamental human right. The company also has a dedicated privacy website that explains its approach to privacy, outlines tools available to customers to protect their privacy, and details government data requests.
In a paper titled "Google Data Collection," Douglas C. Schmidt, a computer science professor at Vanderbilt University, arrives at some stark conclusions regarding how much Google is collecting about consumers who use the company's products, even when they aren't interacting with their smartphones and tablets.
Among several findings, Schmidt's experiments found that an idle Android phone with Chrome web browser active in the background communicated location information to Google 340 times during a 24-hour period. An equivalent experiment found that on an iOS device with Safari open but not Chrome, Google could not collect any appreciable data unless a user was interacting with the device.
In addition, he found that an idle Android phone running Chrome sends back to Google nearly fifty times as many data requests per hour as an idle iPhone running Safari. Overall, an idle Android device was found to communicate with Google nearly 10 times more often than an Apple device communicates with Apple servers.
As well as data transmission frequencies, Schmidt's research also turned up some of the ways that Google can potentially tie together anonymous data collected through passive means with the personal information of its users.
For example, 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.
The same goes for the supposedly user-anonymous DoubleClick cookie ID, which tracks a user's activity on third-party web pages. According to Schmidt's research, Google can associate the cookie to a user's Google account when a user accesses a Google app in the same browser that a third-party web page was accessed.
The research follows a recent investigation conducted by the Associated Press which revealed that Google continues to track location data even after a consumer has turned off the setting in many of its apps, including Google Maps.
In response to a query about location history tracking, Google said that it is clear about its location policies, yet the company continues to collect data through app features that come under "My Activity" even when its "Location History" setting is turned off. The practice has since led to a class action lawsuit against the company by a user arguing breach of privacy.
Location information stored in "My Activity" is used for ad targeting purposes, which is still Google's primary business model. In contrast, Apple uses differential privacy to gather anonymous usage insights from devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs, allowing it to crowdsource data from a large number of users without compromising the privacy of any individual.
Apple says the data it collects off-device is used to improve services like Siri suggestions, and to help identify problematic websites that use excessive power or too much memory in Safari, but the data is randomized before being sent from devices, so that its servers never see or receive raw data from users.
When users set up their device, Apple explicitly asks users if they wish to provide usage information on an opt-in basis. If a user declines, no data is collected by Apple unless they choose to opt in at a later time.
Apple executives have said several times that Apple customers are not the company's product, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has maintained that privacy is a fundamental human right. The company also has a dedicated privacy website that explains its approach to privacy, outlines tools available to customers to protect their privacy, and details government data requests.
[ 277 comments ]
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12 months ago
And when people scoff "well Android phones are cheaper", this is part of the reason. With Apple, you buy a product. With Google, you are the product.
12 months ago
It's bound to, as it's a phone OS created by Google and designed to keep in contact with Google (to a degree dependent on how much you agree to in the settings). I'd imagine an Apple phone conversely sends more data to Apple than an Android phone!
Idle Android devices typically send almost ten times as much data to Google as iOS devices send to Apple's servers, according to new research shared by trade association Digital Content Next ('https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2018/08/21/google-data-collection-research/').It's literally the first sentence....
12 months ago
You're being tracked by cell signal, or any wifi spots you connect to, your activity is tracked by IP address, you're tracked by your credit/debit card usage, there are cameras that take pictures of your tag, etc... I'm just saying, whatever people are afraid of by being tracked...you're being tracked one way or another.
I really don't care either...all they'll find about me is I live a boring life and love technology.
I don’t like this argument of “I’ve got nothing to hide but who cares”. Privacy should be important and we have a right to know how our data is being used, or what data is being collected. As Jobs said, that’s what privacy is — and if you’re aware of what they know and you’re fine with it, then that’s okay, providing you know what is being collected.
Apple take steps to ensure you know what data they collect and what this data would tell about you. Google take steps to continue mining your data even when you think you’ve disabled it.
12 months ago
Yeah but there's a difference between being tracked by Apple and being tracked by Google.
You're being tracked by cell signal, or any wifi spots you connect to, your activity is tracked by IP address, you're tracked by your credit/debit card usage, there are cameras that take pictures of your tag, etc... I'm just saying, whatever people are afraid of by being tracked...you're being tracked one way or another.I really don't care either...all they'll find about me is I live a boring life and love technology.
12 months ago
No. Most are not that tech savvy.
Not tech savy like Craig Federighi? He says not to bother closing your apps, and that doing so and reopening them can actually drain your battery more. https://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/10/force-quitting-apps-doesnt-help-battery/
12 months ago
i dont think that the reason anymore since andriod phones now a days are almost equal to iphone in termes of prices. i recently talked with some of my android friends and when i explained them that google is a ad company and collects your personal data they just had 1 reply "so what ? am i some important person ? who the **** cares about my info at google ?"
Very true: some of my work colleagues mocked me for getting an “overpriced” iPhone X yet they paid nearly as much for a Google Pixel 2 with half the per core performance, no wireless charging, and data mining galore.
12 months ago
And when people scoff "well Android phones are cheaper", this is part of the reason. With Apple, you buy a product. With Google, you are the product.
i dont think that the reason anymore since andriod phones now a days are almost equal to iphone in termes of prices. i recently talked with some of my android friends and when i explained them that google is a ad company and collects your personal data they just had 1 reply "so what ? am i some important person ? who the **** cares about my info at google ?"
12 months ago
No. Most are not that tech savvy.
Tech savvy people don’t fall for the old wives tale that it’s necessary or useful to kill apps from the multitasking tray.
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