Google Confirmed Tracking Android Devices Even When Location Services Are Off
Google recently confirmed it had collected data from Android users through cell towers even when the latter had disabled their devices' location services.
In a recent report by Quartz, it was revealed that Google had been gathering data on the whereabouts of people using Android even when their devices were not in use or their location services were disabled. The collected data was sent to Google once the device was connected to the internet.
According to the report, the practice had started in early 2017 when Google would gather the "addresses of nearby cellular towers" through Android devices. The collected data was sent to Google to - as the company claimed - "manage push notifications and messages on Android phones for the past 11 months."
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There was practically no need to identify the specific location of an Android user since the presence of multiple towers "within about a quarter-mile radius" apart can help triangulate the whereabouts of a device and its owner.
Making the situation worse was the fact that there was no option to disable the data-gathering activity. In fact, the location information collection clause in Google's privacy policy only said the company "may collect and process information about your actual location." It did not include any warning that the activity would still be active despite the disabling of the device's location services.
When asked about the revealed practice, a Google representative explained: "In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivery."
Google further claimed that any data collected was "immediately discarded" and added that they "no longer request Cell ID." The company maintained that it had "never incorporated Cell ID into our network sync system."
However, despite Google's arguments, several security analysts and digital privacy advocates raised concerns over the collection of location data without proper information being given to Android users and having no option to turn it down.
Matthew Hickey of the London-based security firm Hacker House told Quartz: "It is really a mystery as to why this is not optional."
He added: "It seems quite intrusive for Google to be collecting such information that is only relevant to carrier networks when there are no SIM card or enabled services."
Meanwhile, the location data is said to be encrypted. However, with the massive hacking incidents this year that targeted even the biggest corporations and government agencies around the world, the revealed tracking activity still poses a severe threat to users' privacy and protection.
