What Google Knows about you - Every Day

fortytwo · February 8, 2018

If you are concerned about privacy you best not carry a phone. Fox News Tucker Carlson tonight had a report on a test using two different phones. Neither had SIMM cards. Both had wifi turned off. One was in Airplane Mode. In a 1 hour, 14 mile journey in Washington DC BOTH recorded hundreds of KB of data, including every stop, walking or riding, and even when a car was entered or exited. As soon as these phones were connected to a wifi network (with a device to capture traffic) 300 KB of data was immediately transmitted to Google. With a SIMM card installed they can easily connect the data and the user. Surprise, surprise - Google sells it. It's called Surveillance Capitalism.

Now if you ever consider an "educational" visit to "The Ranch"....... Best leave that phone at home!

On the positive side law enforcement could be able to track a suspect with high accuracy. Not so positive: doubt if the legal system has the processes to balance public safety/security and Constitutional protections against self incrimination.

Barbaraok · February 8, 2018

Obviously some people don’t know how to turn their phones OFF.

Pieere · February 8, 2018

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas! Not! It's legal there! LOL! If you don't have nothing to hide don't let this concern you!

Pat & Pete · February 8, 2018

A good reason not to carry a phone .

bigjim · February 8, 2018

58 minutes ago, Pieere said:

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas! Not! It's legal there! LOL! If you don't have nothing to hide don't let this concern you!

Disagree that you shouldn't let it concern you. JMO but you "should" have some control over your personal information. I know the liklyhood of that is infinitesimal but I still believe it should be so.

Kirk W · February 8, 2018

'It Knows When I Got Out of the Car!': Tucker's Special Report on How Google's Tracking You

Credit cards have been doing this for years and that is how they know when someone steals your card and tries to use it. With a "smartphone" it is as easy as going to settings and turn off location tracking.

bigjim · February 8, 2018

2 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Credit cards have been doing this for years and that is how they know when someone steals your card and tries to use it. With a "smartphone" it is as easy as going to settings and turn off location tracking.

One of the good uses. I guess I am amazed that Tucker Carlson who is as smart as he is did not know this already????

Twotoes · February 8, 2018

Not sure but I think Even with location turned off or the phone turned off I believe it can still be tracked. The only solution is to take out the battery so there is no power. However if you have a iPhone the battery is not removable.

LindaH · February 8, 2018

3 hours ago, Pat & Pete said:

A good reason not to carry a phone .

We are snowbirds. Don't think we're going to leave our phones at home when we leave for 4-5 months! And what about fulltimers...are they not supposed to have phones at all?

I always have my phone with me...and it's turned on. If someone wants to track where I go, more power to them. I'm sure I'm way down on the list of people the government, or anyone else wants to track!

RV_ · February 8, 2018

The camera can also be used when turned off and give no indication. Home security cams too. those innocuous cams at intersections and on the outside of buildings now when accessed by local and federal police can track you by facial recognition, pull down all your private info, all the websites you visit and what you did there, and congress and the president recently along with their attack on net neutrality made it legal for our Internet providers (cable, satellite, fiber, wireless, or dial up) to access our online behavior and sell or use that information any way they want without our permission. And they just renewed the Patriot act spying on our citizens. It isn't political to ask folks to get informed and sign up for a service to see what your representatives are doing and then vote accordingly. Wringing our hands does no good, and if a little bit of security is worth your liberty then so be it. That has been our trajectory. The NSA has admitted to having back doors installed in routers going to a certain city or location where they have surveillance targets. Satellites are way beyond what most folks believe. They were 20 years ago this month when I retired from the USAF. I can't imagine today. They can likely read the ingredients off a prescription bottle that we can't read without a magnifying glass!

Stalin, or someone like him, would have a blast with these toys at his disposal today. Putin already plays with them online.

Linda our posts crossed.

The danger is if anyone makes waves, like fighting net neutrality, or demanding cable companies compete in every place they exist, or putting up solar.

Then the cable companies can lose our emails, share the contents of our activities, and back them up with video. You don't have to break the law to be blackmailed, just do in private (you thought) anything you would not want made public. I am very careful where I aim my security cams, and have all my Tablet cams covered with removable webcam stickers. Our desktops were selected because they have built in sliding webcam covers.

I warned everyone here about Google back when they changed their EULA to say everything on any device you loaded any of their "free" programs on. Now I have an Android phone too. I gave in, but still vote against surveillance and write my congress critters. But I guess the money folks know how valuable that can be.

Pat & Pete · February 8, 2018

1 hour ago, LindaH said:

We are snowbirds. Don't think we're going to leave our phones at home when we leave for 4-5 months! And what about fulltimers...are they not supposed to have phones at all?

I always have my phone with me...and it's turned on. If someone wants to track where I go, more power to them. I'm sure I'm way down on the list of people the government, or anyone else wants to track!

We are full timers . We do have a flip phone , which generally lies on the kitchen counter until we use it once or maybe twice a month .

Pieere · February 9, 2018

If they catch me with my pants down they will probably burn their surveilence devices! Much of George Orwell's "1984" has come true and their isn't much we can do other than Vote them out!

packnrat · February 22, 2018

On 2/9/2018 at 6:37 AM, Pieere said:

If they catch me with my pants down they will probably burn their surveilence devices! Much of George Orwell's "1984" has come true and their isn't much we can do other than Vote them out!

Vote them out!

right, someone (very bad guy) once said.

it's not who you vote for.

it's who counts the votes.

Newt · February 22, 2018

On 2/8/2018 at 1:06 PM, RV_ said:

The camera can also be used when turned off and give no indication. Home security cams too. those innocuous cams at intersections and on the outside of buildings now when accessed by local and federal police can track you by facial recognition, pull down all your private info, all the websites you visit and what you did there, and congress and the president recently along with their attack on net neutrality made it legal for our Internet providers (cable, satellite, fiber, wireless, or dial up) to access our online behavior and sell or use that information any way they want without our permission. And they just renewed the Patriot act spying on our citizens. It isn't political to ask folks to get informed and sign up for a service to see what your representatives are doing and then vote accordingly. Wringing our hands does no good, and if a little bit of security is worth your liberty then so be it. That has been our trajectory. The NSA has admitted to having back doors installed in routers going to a certain city or location where they have surveillance targets. Satellites are way beyond what most folks believe. They were 20 years ago this month when I retired from the USAF. I can't imagine today. They can likely read the ingredients off a prescription bottle that we can't read without a magnifying glass!

Stalin, or someone like him, would have a blast with these toys at his disposal today. Putin already plays with them online.

Linda our posts crossed.

The danger is if anyone makes waves, like fighting net neutrality, or demanding cable companies compete in every place they exist, or putting up solar.

Then the cable companies can lose our emails, share the contents of our activities, and back them up with video. You don't have to break the law to be blackmailed, just do in private (you thought) anything you would not want made public. I am very careful where I aim my security cams, and have all my Tablet cams covered with removable webcam stickers. Our desktops were selected because they have built in sliding webcam covers.

I warned everyone here about Google back when they changed their EULA to say everything on any device you loaded any of their "free" programs on. Now I have an Android phone too. I gave in, but still vote against surveillance and write my congress critters. But I guess the money folks know how valuable that can be.

We're cheap, just stick blue tape over them.

Newt

bigjim · February 23, 2018

What blue tape are you speaking of, the painters tape?

RV_ · February 24, 2018

Tape works too. I have Surface Pros and Venue 11 Pro tablets that look much better with the black dots that are way overpriced but sometimes convenience and quick east removal replacement are worth the costs.

Looking at one just now it looks like if you have some sheets of clack tape with peel off sticky back one of those old one hole paper hole punch thingies would make them just the right size for most. My screens are all glass so I can spot with Mr Clean Magic Eraser for any adhesive residue. My Surface Pro 4 needs the camera on me for facial recognition. (It didn't break the first time or subsequently with my face!) So it got a place on my charging stand upside down and regular masking tape over the case it is in. (PU Leather) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z064Y6K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The other Surface Pro 3 only has the typecover so I put dots on it. The Venue 11 Pro also has a case, and I put dots on it. All but the Pro 4 are getting sold before we move to Colorado. The Amazon HDX tablets have terrible cameras but the Amazon Origami cases are awesome for durability and they cover both cameras when not in use. No openings for them. The 8.9 HDX has a slide up function when you slide it up to expose the camera lens that is pretty impressive. Those cases stick on the Fire HDX tablets by magnets alone! MY phone is on a stand with the camera aimed art my desk, and the "selfie front camera has a dot on it because it can be scraped off in a heartbeat. I never take selfies anyway.