On Fri, 07 Feb 2020 12:47:29 GMT, AnthonyL wrote:
> Google knows where many people are at any time, almost everyone with
> an Android phone. Even when you switch location services off they
> know.
Hi AnthonyL,
The first part is true that Google knows where "many stupid people" are.
o But Google doesn't need to know where the smart people are, IMHO.
I disagree with your second comment that it happens "even when you switch
location services off", in that, there are _other_ things you can switch
off if you're intelligent (unless you know something we don't know).
Unfortunately, most people are stupid (I need to trademark that statement
since the older I get, the more I believe the world is filled with morons
who can't even properly set up something as simple as a mobile phone).
Here are, for your purview, _my_ settings, where I ask questions of you:
Q: Is _my_ phone constantly uploading to Google my location information?
Q: Is my phone spying on my neighbors' WiFi APs, uploading them to Google?
<
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/uk.telecom.mobile/qHy3tVLR3hg/uKIz0ju7FAAJ>
Here are settings that (a) smart & (b) polite people "should" use, IMHO:
This is for my Android Pie (Android 9) $100 Moto G7:
1. *Location* (treated exactly like your flashlight is treated):
o Settings > Security & location > Location = off
<
https://i.postimg.cc/dtJjM8dT/gmap06.jpg>
2. *Scanning* (disables scanning even when the radio is turned off!):
o Settings > Security & location > Location > Advanced ...
Wi-Fi scanning = off
Bluetooth scanning = off
<
https://i.postimg.cc/Hkx0nd6Y/gmap07.jpg>
3. *Google Location Accuracy* (disables upload of WiFi APs to Google???):
o Settings > Security & location > Location > Advanced > ...
o > Location services > Google Location Accuracy = off
<
https://i.postimg.cc/jd8NGBtG/gmap09.jpg>
That might be all any intelligent non-rude person needs.
o In addition, not having a Google Account disables these:
4. *Google Location History* = (doesn't exist with no Google Account???)
<
https://i.postimg.cc/SQdzMH2J/gmap10.jpg>
5. *Google Location Sharing* = (doesn't exist with no Google Account???)
<
https://i.postimg.cc/KYt1vWhc/gmap11.jpg>
Up to you on how much you trust the ELS services button, where it likely
doesn't even work (and says so) but here it is for completeness:
6. *Emergency Location Service*
o Settings > Security & location > Location > Advanced > ...
o > Location services
*Emergency Location Service* = on/off (up to you)
<
https://i.postimg.cc/sXp7qXgc/gmap08.jpg>
7. *Location Permission* (treat location like you treat the flashlight):
o Settings > Security & location > Location > Advanced > ...
o > See all
And... <
https://i.postimg.cc/25vK1VZ2/gmap12.jpg>
o Settings > Security & location > Location > Advanced > ...
o > App-level permissions > (this will list all apps requesting location)
For each app that does not need location, simply turn it off.
Aw, heck.
Let's just turn off _all_ location permissions, and see what happens.
<
https://i.postimg.cc/3x7RSbXB/gmap15.jpg>
Note: I play with my settings so much that often I have to factory reset.
8. *Bluetooth Device Visibility*
o Settings > Connected devices > Bluetooth > Connection preferences >
Manage your connection preferences as you wish
<
https://i.postimg.cc/rFh44TX4/gmap13.jpg>
9. *App Permissions* specifically for the Google Map app:
Specifically for the Google Maps App, you can long press on the icon to get
to the app settings, where, it seems to work fine even if you don't have a
Google Account set up in the Android operating system, and it seems to work
fine if you just log into it as you would Facebook or other server; but
it's important to note for the non-lazy that Google Maps still works well
with almost all access turned off, for example:
<
https://i.postimg.cc/G2f5MrSQ/gmap02.jpg>
10. *Clear cache & data* specifically for the Google Map app:
It's also important to note the Google Maps App data & cache can be cleared
simply by long pressing on the icon and pressing the button to clear them:
<
https://i.postimg.cc/9Q2jtfGt/gmap01.jpg>
11. Similar to ELS, there may be "find my phone" functionality, which I
can't seem to find on my phone, but which is reputed to exist on Android
phones. (If you know where to find the app on the phone, let me know.)
12. *Contacts" permission (use it like a flashlight)
o Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > App permissions > Contacts
<
https://i.postimg.cc/SxcbYyHQ/gmap14.jpg>
Aw heck.
Since I don't have a Google Account set up on the phone anyway, and since I
don't use the default contacts storage location anyway, I don't think _any_
app needs contacts, as far as I can tell; so I turned them _all_ off and
will see what happens over time.
<
https://i.postimg.cc/WzGV0THP/gmap16.jpg>
Note: I use SimpleMobileTools Contacts & PulseSMS for phone/contacts & SMS.
o <
https://www.simplemobiletools.com>
o <
https://messenger.klinkerapps.com/overview/>
Neither of which seems to require the default contacts location to work.
Note: AFAIK, my _default_ SQLite3 contacts storage location is empty so as
to keep Google out of my contacts as much as is possible:
o </data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db>
o </data/data/com.motorola.blur.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db>
What else of the basic privacy settings did we miss?
--
Note: If people set up their phone for privacy, IMHO, they're not only
stupid but worse, they're _rude_ since they're constantly uploading their
neighbors' wifi information to Google, needlessly (just because they're too
stupid to turn off wifi scanning, for example).