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How Google tricks users into leaking location data
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paul
May 29, 2021, 8:22:31 PM5/29/21
to
My phone keeps switching to giving Google my location data.
I keep turning it off & it keeps coming back.
I even resorted to setting a one-click shortcut to turn it off.
Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Accuracy = OFF
Then I started looking up _what_ was turning on my location accuracy even
though I was repeatedly and very clearly telling Android to turn it off.
I found this in that search for what is turning on my location accuracy.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/29/22460070/google-difficult-android-privacy-settings-arizona-antitrust
*Google makes it difficult for smartphone users to find privacy settings*
1... company executives and engineers were aware that the search giant had
made it hard for smartphone users to keep location information private
2... Google collected location data even after users had turned off location
sharing
3... Google made privacy settings difficult for users to find
4... Google pressured phone manufacturers into keeping privacy settings
hidden
5... Google illegally tracked Android users' location without their consent,
even if users had disabled location tracking features
Whatever Google is doing, it's somehow turning _ON_ my location accuracy
even as I keep turning it OFF!
I keep turning it off & it keeps coming back.
I even resorted to setting a one-click shortcut to turn it off.
Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Accuracy = OFF
Then I started looking up _what_ was turning on my location accuracy even
though I was repeatedly and very clearly telling Android to turn it off.
I found this in that search for what is turning on my location accuracy.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/29/22460070/google-difficult-android-privacy-settings-arizona-antitrust
*Google makes it difficult for smartphone users to find privacy settings*
1... company executives and engineers were aware that the search giant had
made it hard for smartphone users to keep location information private
2... Google collected location data even after users had turned off location
sharing
3... Google made privacy settings difficult for users to find
4... Google pressured phone manufacturers into keeping privacy settings
hidden
5... Google illegally tracked Android users' location without their consent,
even if users had disabled location tracking features
Whatever Google is doing, it's somehow turning _ON_ my location accuracy
even as I keep turning it OFF!
Alan Baker
May 29, 2021, 8:28:15 PM5/29/21
to
I turn it off on an iPhone and it stays off.
Gronk
May 29, 2021, 9:04:41 PM5/29/21
to
> I turn it off on an iPhone and it stays off.
This isn't a callow iOS newsgroup last I checked.
Besides you can't even spoof a GPS location on your overpriced iPhone bauble
(without having to jailbreak your expensive but gormless iOS trinket).
Please post your irrational nescient response in the Apple newsgroup sump.
paul
May 30, 2021, 11:30:45 AM5/30/21
to
I figured out what it was that was turning on Android location accuracy.
Can you test your Android to see if yours does the same as mine does?
1... I normally keep Location off in the pull down quick settings
2... I open Google Maps (10.67.2) & press the location icon
3... Pressing _OK_ is what is turning on google location accuracy!
This is the message I get when I press the Maps location icon...
To continue, turn on device location, which uses Google's location service
NO THANKS or OK
If I press "OK" 2 critically important things happen without your knowledge!
One is that location is turned on but the other is location accuracy is
turned on, but location accuracy comes with a boatload of Google TOCs!
"Google's location service improves location accuracy by using Wi-Fi,
mobile networks, and sensors to help estimate your location.
Google may collect location data periodically and use this data in an
anonymous way to improve location accuracy and location-based services.
Turning this off will result in your device only using GPS for location.
This may impact the accuracy of location used by apps such as
Maps and Find My Device."
This setting can be found (the slow way) by the Android 11 keypress sequence
Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Accuracy = on/off
To which I've since simplified to a single click to the closest GPS activity
GPS:com.google.android.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
Unfortunately Google Maps doesn't provide an option to turn on "just" GPS.
Google Maps _must_ turn on both "Location" and "Location Accuracy."
The good news is that turning off location accuracy via the one-click
shortcut remains off when I go back to Google Maps, which now just uses GPS.
Interestingly Google (of course) does this on purpose which I tested when I
tried another app (Cellular-Z) which requires location permission to be on.
When I opened Cellular-Z, it asked for location to be on, but it simply
brought me to the Google Play Services activity pane
com.google.android.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
What Google Maps does is goes one level lower than does Cellular-Z.
Cellular-Z brings you to the setting so that YOU can toggle it.
Google Maps, instead, just _sets_ multiple settings on its own.
The workaround is simple though, and I suggest everyone try it.
1... Create a shortcut to the GoogleLocationSettingsActivity activity
2... Check it every once in a while to ensure that it's how you want it
It's only Google Maps which plays this trick on us so if you normally keep
your location on, then you only have to unset this toggle once.
If you're like me and you normally keep location off, then if you use Google
Maps, then you need to just use this shortcut in your shortcut folder.
Please let me know if you have the same experience with Google Maps
turning on _both_ location and location accuracy when you press "OK."
Can you test your Android to see if yours does the same as mine does?
1... I normally keep Location off in the pull down quick settings
2... I open Google Maps (10.67.2) & press the location icon
3... Pressing _OK_ is what is turning on google location accuracy!
This is the message I get when I press the Maps location icon...
To continue, turn on device location, which uses Google's location service
NO THANKS or OK
If I press "OK" 2 critically important things happen without your knowledge!
One is that location is turned on but the other is location accuracy is
turned on, but location accuracy comes with a boatload of Google TOCs!
"Google's location service improves location accuracy by using Wi-Fi,
mobile networks, and sensors to help estimate your location.
Google may collect location data periodically and use this data in an
anonymous way to improve location accuracy and location-based services.
Turning this off will result in your device only using GPS for location.
This may impact the accuracy of location used by apps such as
Maps and Find My Device."
This setting can be found (the slow way) by the Android 11 keypress sequence
Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Accuracy = on/off
To which I've since simplified to a single click to the closest GPS activity
GPS:com.google.android.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
Unfortunately Google Maps doesn't provide an option to turn on "just" GPS.
Google Maps _must_ turn on both "Location" and "Location Accuracy."
The good news is that turning off location accuracy via the one-click
shortcut remains off when I go back to Google Maps, which now just uses GPS.
Interestingly Google (of course) does this on purpose which I tested when I
tried another app (Cellular-Z) which requires location permission to be on.
When I opened Cellular-Z, it asked for location to be on, but it simply
brought me to the Google Play Services activity pane
com.google.android.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
What Google Maps does is goes one level lower than does Cellular-Z.
Cellular-Z brings you to the setting so that YOU can toggle it.
Google Maps, instead, just _sets_ multiple settings on its own.
The workaround is simple though, and I suggest everyone try it.
1... Create a shortcut to the GoogleLocationSettingsActivity activity
2... Check it every once in a while to ensure that it's how you want it
It's only Google Maps which plays this trick on us so if you normally keep
your location on, then you only have to unset this toggle once.
If you're like me and you normally keep location off, then if you use Google
Maps, then you need to just use this shortcut in your shortcut folder.
Please let me know if you have the same experience with Google Maps
turning on _both_ location and location accuracy when you press "OK."
Bob F
May 31, 2021, 8:42:49 AM5/31/21
to
BEFORE you start "maps".
paul
May 31, 2021, 9:54:18 AM5/31/21
to
Bob F wrote on 31.05.2021 14:42
With location off I can turn it on independently of Google Maps by swiping
down on the homescreen quick tiles and tapping on the "Location" tile.
If I tap quickly on that location tile it turns only Location on.
Location is automatically turned on
Google Location Accuracy remains off
If I long tap on that location tile - it brings me to the activity
com.google.android.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
At that activity I can select which location I want to turn on
I turn Location on at that activity
I check that Google Location Accuracy remains off at that activity
When I subsequently start up Google Maps, the Google Map app does _not_ ask
me to turn on Google Location Accuracy (it geolocates using only the fake
GPS spoofing with random motion which I have the phone permanently set to).
When I subsequently check, "Google Location Accuracy" remains off.
Thanks for the idea of that testing procedure.
*The lesson learned is _never_ turn on Location from Google Maps!*
Or, if you do, immediately press your shortcut to turn it off!
> Does this "accuracy" thing get turned on if you turn "location" on
> BEFORE you start "maps".
Let me test after rebooting with location & location accuracy turned off.
> BEFORE you start "maps".
With location off I can turn it on independently of Google Maps by swiping
down on the homescreen quick tiles and tapping on the "Location" tile.
If I tap quickly on that location tile it turns only Location on.
Location is automatically turned on
Google Location Accuracy remains off
If I long tap on that location tile - it brings me to the activity
com.google.android.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
At that activity I can select which location I want to turn on
I turn Location on at that activity
I check that Google Location Accuracy remains off at that activity
When I subsequently start up Google Maps, the Google Map app does _not_ ask
me to turn on Google Location Accuracy (it geolocates using only the fake
GPS spoofing with random motion which I have the phone permanently set to).
When I subsequently check, "Google Location Accuracy" remains off.
Thanks for the idea of that testing procedure.
*The lesson learned is _never_ turn on Location from Google Maps!*
Or, if you do, immediately press your shortcut to turn it off!
paul
Jun 1, 2021, 12:47:53 AM6/1/21
to
It's all trial and error (I wish there was a better way) but today I found a
useful shortcut that _replaces_ one Google Play Services "gms" activity.
Google Play Services : Google location settings:
com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
Settings : Location
com.android.settings/com.android.settings.Settings$LocationSettingsActivity
Both of which take you to
Settings > Location
But I haven't yet found a _direct_ non-Google "settings" replacement for:
Google Play Services : Google Location Accuracy
com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.location.settings.LocationAccuracyActivity
Although this close but it's _not_ exactly the same activity as the GMS one.
Settings: Improve accuracy
com.android.settings/comp.android.settings.Settings$ScanningSettingsActivity
Which is found at Settings > Location > Improve accuracy
Using Shortcut Maker I can create a series of one-click shortcuts which make
it easier to check when Google is turning things on without your knowledge.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rk.android.app.shortcutmaker
Likewise with Shortcut Creator but it organizes the activities differently.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alextern.shortcuthelper
For whatever reason, QuickShortcutMaker works fine for everything _except_
putting shortcuts on the desktop (it used to be my favorite).
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sika524.android.quickshortcut
useful shortcut that _replaces_ one Google Play Services "gms" activity.
Google Play Services : Google location settings:
com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.location.settings.GoogleLocationSettingsActivity
Settings : Location
com.android.settings/com.android.settings.Settings$LocationSettingsActivity
Both of which take you to
Settings > Location
But I haven't yet found a _direct_ non-Google "settings" replacement for:
Google Play Services : Google Location Accuracy
com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.location.settings.LocationAccuracyActivity
Although this close but it's _not_ exactly the same activity as the GMS one.
Settings: Improve accuracy
com.android.settings/comp.android.settings.Settings$ScanningSettingsActivity
Which is found at Settings > Location > Improve accuracy
Using Shortcut Maker I can create a series of one-click shortcuts which make
it easier to check when Google is turning things on without your knowledge.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rk.android.app.shortcutmaker
Likewise with Shortcut Creator but it organizes the activities differently.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alextern.shortcuthelper
For whatever reason, QuickShortcutMaker works fine for everything _except_
putting shortcuts on the desktop (it used to be my favorite).
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sika524.android.quickshortcut
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