Wednesday, March 05, 2025

How Google tracks Android device users at an early stage

Research from a leading academic shows Android users have advertising cookies and other gizmos working to build profiles on them even before they open their first app. Doug Leith, professor and chair of computer systems at Trinity College Dublin, who carried out the research, claims in his write up that no consent is sought for the various identifiers and there is no way of opting out from having them run.

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More from the article ...

...He found various mechanisms operating on the Android system which were then relaying the data back to Google via pre-installed apps such as Google Play Services and the Google Play store, all without users ever opening a Google app.

One of these is the "DSID" cookie, which Google explains in its documentation is used to identify a "signed in user on non-Google websites so that the user's preference for personalized advertising is respected accordingly." The "DSID" cookie lasts for two weeks. ...

The app's Google Play page is littered with negative reviews, many of which cite its installation without consent.

"In short, it is spyware. We were not informed. It feels like the right to privacy is secondary to Google's corporate interests," one reviewer wrote. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-03-05 12:28 AM

@#1 ... It feels like the right to privacy is secondary to Google's corporate interests," one reviewer wrote. ...

well, yeah.

Even saying "right to privacy" and "Google" in the same sentence seems quite odd to me.


I mean ...

Google Escapes Its Biggest Privacy Scandal Virtually Unscathed (July 2019)
www.tomshardware.com

... At the same time Facebook is rumored to have settled with the Federal Trade Commission for $5 billion, Bloomberg reported Sunday that Google is poised to get away with a small loss in comparison, $13 million, for what was once called the biggest U.S. wiretap in history. However, a San Francisco judge still needs to agree to the settlement.
Google's Settlement

The settlement is expected to to be shared among the 20 plaintiffs that accused Google of spying on their data. What's left of the $13 million after the administrative costs are paid and lawyers get their 25% commission will be split between the plaintiffs and some consumer privacy groups, according to a court filing.

No one else who may have had their data stolen by Google will receive any money. According to the class-action lawyers, it would be too difficult to prove what data was stolen and when, after so many years.

Google will also commit to deleting any data it may have remaining from what it collected with its Street View cars. It also promised to do more to teach users about privacy online.
Google's Street View Car Wi-Fi Scandal

In 2010, Google was accused of using its Street View cars to collecting unencrypted Wi-Fi data from domestic homes. That data could have included personal web activity, as well as email addresses, passwords, medical records, phone numbers and other sensitive information. ...



#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-03-05 12:32 AM

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