Android May Be Broadcasting Your Location

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Kevin, why is this important? What exactly does this allow someone to do/track? Advertisers? Hackers? How can this affect a user's everyday life? Maybe a stupid question to some, but I'm still learning the more complicated stuff.
 
Can you please stop using that gory pic of a guy on a cel? Even though I know the story behind that pic, I am not a psychopath and am actually bothered by gore when it is used in the wrong place/venue. Thanks.
 
Kevin, why is this important? What exactly does this allow someone to do/track? Advertisers? Hackers? How can this affect a user's everyday life? Maybe a stupid question to some, but I'm still learning the more complicated stuff.
 
Can you please stop using that gory pic of a guy on a cel? Even though I know the story behind that pic, I am not a psychopath and am actually bothered by gore when it is used in the wrong place/venue. Thanks.
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I think that's what happens to iPhone users over time. Too little, too late for that guy.
 
Kevin, why is this important? What exactly does this allow someone to do/track? Advertisers? Hackers? How can this affect a user's everyday life? Maybe a stupid question to some, but I'm still learning the more complicated stuff.
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Some people take exception to having their location tracked, it's pretty fundamental stuff
 
With the number of apps that request permission to use location even if they have no apparent reason to need it and people mindlessly tapping their way through permission screens, people's locations probably already leak a lot more than they think it does.
 
Totally agree with InvalidError, the os could be as leakproof as you want but you are basically forced to give high permissions even just to install a stupid game.
 
I have this question I'm hoping someone can answer, how does 'keep wifi on during sleep" option to never increases data usage and more importantly power consumption?
 

WiFi connections use less power than 3G/4G data connections and leaving WiFi always-on where you have access to a WiFi network means apps that sync stuff in the background can use your WiFi bandwidth instead of your 3G/4G data plan.
 
Kevin, why is this important? What exactly does this allow someone to do/track? Advertisers? Hackers? How can this affect a user's everyday life? Maybe a stupid question to some, but I'm still learning the more complicated stuff.
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A slightly tech savvy stalker could find out your movements. Also robbers could do this, probably not a big problem in 'Merica, where robbers tend to be idiots. But in Latin Merica, for example, many robbers are part of organized crime groups, and many of their targets are thought out well in advance (not the ones who rob gringos... but the ones who robber wealthy Latin families and kidnap their kids).
 
They mentioned iOS 6 and 7, but left out an important new addition in iOS 8.

Now MAC addresses are randomly generated by your iPhone while looking for networks to connect to. Only when the user decides to actually connect is the real MAC address then used.

There are already retailers scanning MAC addresses of devices so they can track where someone has been or how often they visit. iOS 8 now eliminates that ability.
 
At this point I'm convinced that the only way to live a truly private life is to take all your technology and burn it and go live in the woods.
 
I guess this was done to improve chances of connecting to a non ssid broadcasting network.

Strange thing is normally you just tell it to connect even when not broadcasting, that should have made it only call out non broadcasting networks.

Either way I am with InvalidError on this one.
 
Turn your WiFi off when you're not using it. It saves your battery even more anyway. Problem solved .
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I hope for your sake you're a troll and not an apologist. It's 2014. We shouldn't have to manually switch wifi on and off whenever we use our phones. Not to mention interfering with background wifi syncing and large downloads.

Google needs to get their butts in gear, from their response it sounds like they knew about this all along and just were hoping nobody would notice.
 
At this point I'm convinced that the only way to live a truly private life is to take all your technology and burn it and go live in the woods.
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Not buying devices running software made by an advertising firm would go a long way to reducing your exposure. Not posting everything you see, do, and eat on Instafacetwitbookergram helps a lot too.
 
At this point I'm convinced that the only way to live a truly private life is to take all your technology and burn it and go live in the woods.
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Not buying devices running software made by an advertising firm would go a long way to reducing your exposure. Not posting everything you see, do, and eat on Instafacetwitbookergram helps a lot too.
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So basically, live in the 1980's.... sorry, not going to do that.
 

What do you think Google was doing when they were using their streetview cars to map WiFi access points? They probably sniffed out the MACs of every other device along the way as well... acquire the data then find ways to monetize it.
 


The biggest problem is privacy. There should be options for it instead of it just being on and them being able to use and sell to companies so they can advertise specifically to you, send you tons of spam mail/email.

I am about ready to move on from Android. Mainly because I started getting spam email with names of people in my contacts which to me was just super annoying.



Microsoft is not an advertising firm. How do you think Google makes so much money? They make all their money off of advertising. Microsoft is a software company and you have to pay/license their software to use it therefore they do not need to rely on ad revenue like Google does.

As well Apple is also not a advertising firm, although I would never use their products as I find them over priced.

So in short, you don't need to use Android to be in the modern age. They are not the only company out there.
 
FYI nearly all wifi devices do this. If you've ever used airodump you can see a list of client macs along with the essid's that they're searching for... even if the network isn't in range. If you really don't want to be tracked then the only way is to stop using technology.
 
Who on earth leaves their WiFi on all the time? This is basic stuff, people... you don't leave Bluetooth on when you're not using it, and you don't leave WiFi on when you're not using it. I mean, sure, if you want to kill your battery and give up control of the security of the most important gadget you own, it's no skin off my back. Just seems like walking around a bad neighborhood at night waving wads of $100 bills. Sure, you SHOULD be safe, I mean mugging is against the law, but none of us stupid enough to tempt fate like that.
 
Who on earth leaves their WiFi on all the time? This is basic stuff, people... you don't leave Bluetooth on when you're not using it, and you don't leave WiFi on when you're not using it. I mean, sure, if you want to kill your battery and give up control of the security of the most important gadget you own, it's no skin off my back. Just seems like walking around a bad neighborhood at night waving wads of $100 bills. Sure, you SHOULD be safe, I mean mugging is against the law, but none of us stupid enough to tempt fate like that.
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Way to go blaming the customer, typical Google spying apologist, never their fault is it. Why don't you skip right to the part where they implant a GPS chip straight into the brains of newborn babies.
 
Problem is, Jimmy, that free = gooood, people don't understand that free = they may use your data to make money (fb for example). Microsoft has seen this trend and is pushing the whole "bing" thing but with way more respect for privacy. At least imho.
 

For the time being - while Microsoft ponders new ways of monetizing the data they get.

That's the whole story behind "free" online service and 'big data' : hoard data then find/mine ways to monetize it.
 
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