Are Google earwigging?

Snags

@darthed1981 ah, OK, yes, understood.  Sorry, bit of a knee-jerk issue that one

Kittyfrisk

crunchman said:

darthed1981 said:

Google maps is probably the finest navigation tool on the planet, but the quid pro quo is, they remember where you have been...

Sort of.

I accidentally clicked on the Maps icon a couple of days ago.  It was still showing the map of where I was 2 weeks ago, which was the last time I used the app for Satnav.

Depending on your WiFI settings, they will have some ability to track you without your GPS on.

Doesn't even need wi-fi, any provider can use phone mast triangulation to determine where you are, just not as accurately as if you have all the other crap running.

crunchman

Kittyfrisk said:

crunchman said:

darthed1981 said:

Google maps is probably the finest navigation tool on the planet, but the quid pro quo is, they remember where you have been...

Sort of.

I accidentally clicked on the Maps icon a couple of days ago.  It was still showing the map of where I was 2 weeks ago, which was the last time I used the app for Satnav.

Depending on your WiFI settings, they will have some ability to track you without your GPS on.

Doesn't even need wi-fi, any provider can use phone mast triangulation to determine where you are, just not as accurately as if you have all the other crap running.

Your mobile company can do that, but they shouldn't be sharing that information with Google.

Kittyfrisk

^ You're right, they probably aren't sharing information, but... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/13/google-location-tracking-android-iphone-mobile
https://www.wired.com/story/google-location-tracking-turn-off/

Edit:  PS apart from Google Play, Play store & associated processes slurping your battery life there is this https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/12/turn_off_location_services_go_ahead_says_google_well_still_track_you/

cj73

Sassafras said:

When I got Alexa I played my guitar in the same room. The next day I got loads of adverts for drums.

Could've been worse........


Could've been ad's for guitar teachers

darthed1981

cj73 said:

Sassafras said:

When I got Alexa I played my guitar in the same room. The next day I got loads of adverts for drums.

Could've been worse........


Could've been ad's for guitar teachers

I just get ads for reverb "sell your gear here!" and you may find this article useful "how to know you should quit playing guitar..."

Snags

That's because Mrs darthed1981 is spiking your searches.

prowla

Kittyfrisk said:

^ I like the phrase ' ...constantly recording everything a device hears would result in enormous amounts of useless data.'
That is exactly what all FaceBook & similar data is   

You don't have to keep the data long-term; just analyse it on the fly.

Kittyfrisk

^ True. But given the storage capacity available now, why not just trawl everything & then do retrospective analysis.

Don't forget, FaceBook for example already has the capability & capacity to create profiles for people that do not have FaceBook accounts...
http://theconversation.com/shadow-profiles-facebook-knows-about-you-even-if-youre-not-on-facebook-94804

digitalscream

Kittyfrisk said:

Don't forget, FaceBook for example already has the capability & capacity to create profiles for people that do not have FaceBook accounts...
http://theconversation.com/shadow-profiles-facebook-knows-about-you-even-if-youre-not-on-facebook-94804

In effect, the only directly-personal information they have in a shadow profile is their email address (and possibly their name), and that information is all over the place anyway. Far more serious is the privacy-erosion effect that the GDPR's had.

Basically, GDPR has had exactly the opposite effect compared with its intended goal - everybody's got popup-fatigue, so 99% of people just click "Accept" without reading the consent alert, thus giving almost every site out there (and their partners) permission to use their personal info and tracking data. To go back later and revoke that permission for every site you've ever clicked "Accept" on is basically impossible.

Kittyfrisk

^ You aren't wrong about the GDPR effect.
There are certain USA sites that just will not allow you to visit (VPN is handy though).
And if you have ever tried to get to look at any site owned by 'Oath' you have to go to each of the dozens of individual partner websites to configure your data permissions. Life is too short.
I just don't bother rather than click 'accept', but I'm probably not in the 99%, but possibly on the spectrum 

Snags

Yeah, any site using Oath is an immediate closed tab and never going back here. If they're making it that hard to opt out, I'm definitely not opting in.

Bellycaster

Ahh, this is why I keep getting ads for Hand Cream and Kleenex.

cj73

Bellycaster said:

Ahh, this is why I keep getting ads for Hand Cream and Kleenex.

That’s probably more to do with them accessing your webcam

Strangefan

Tbh I don't really care if they listen, they cant use anything as evidence, and if it's for ad based stuff... I don't care as I take no notice of adverts, I use all goodle apps a d tbh would be lost without Google maps and navigation..... Its better than any Tom Tom and does not cost money, go ahead Google have a sneaky listen as long as you dont start charging for  maps Gmail drive, photos, etc. 

ewal

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3078351/alexa-recordings-store-indefinitely

I wouldn't have an Amazon device in my house. Nothing to do with privacy (I've got a Google account...), just a pathetic attempt to resist their march to e-commerce world domination.

digitalscream

ewal said:

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3078351/alexa-recordings-store-indefinitely

I wouldn't have an Amazon device in my house. Nothing to do with privacy (I've got a Google account...), just a pathetic attempt to resist their march to e-commerce world domination.

LOL - they're already there. AWS controls 40% of the cloud market and rising all the time, and the cloud market these days provides the majority of Internet services. Even Google aren't anywhere near them.

SidNewton

Of course they're earwigging I've had numerous conversations regarding the same experience as the OP. 
I will not have one in the house. Similarly, every time I buy a new laptop I put electrical tape over the webcam.
Ain't nobody filming me jacking off to midget porn. 

Kittyfrisk

Strangefan said:

Tbh I don't really care if they listen, they cant use anything as evidence, and if it's for ad based stuff... I don't care as I take no notice of adverts, I use all goodle apps a d tbh would be lost without Google maps and navigation..... Its better than any Tom Tom and does not cost money, go ahead Google have a sneaky listen as long as you dont start charging for  maps Gmail drive, photos, etc. 

'Tbh I don't really care if they listen, they cant use anything as evidence"

Spoken like someone that has never read Orwell or Kafka.
 Or even watched 'Minority Report'    

VimFuego

lol, like a bit of tape's gonna stop us.