New phone

[Ultradog MN]

I lost my phone last weekend.
It's rather traumatic to think of all the stuff I lost with it.
But I got a new one - another android - and am learning how to use it.
I dont't much like or trust google.
So I was surprised to see the extent to which google has their fingers in these new phones.
Here is a list of google apps that were preinstalled on this phone.
Google Search
Google News
Google Chrome
Google Maps
Google Assistant
Google Calender
Google Drive
Google Files
Google Gboard
Google Gmail
Google One
Google Play services
Google Play store
Google TV
Google Meet
Google photos
Google Fit
Google's Youtube
Google's Youtube TV
They are all different apps and all have different permissions.
AND ALL of them Clearly tell you that they gather information about your usage and habits.
Now I suppose the are some here who will tell me that google is totally benevolant.
And they'll say to just get a thicker tinfoil hat.
Or they'll say they don't do ANYTHING that they wouldn't mind the whole world knowing - including a word in a text or email or even in a voice call that is, shall we say, uncultured.
And for the sake of harmony here I will say I approve of that mindset - if it works for them.
But you know, I dont like that much scrutiny into my private life.
So I just spent the last couple of days going through all my apps and removing a LOT of permissions and disabling a Lot of Google stuff.
And if I were to give my friends of ALL persuasions here a bit of advice it would be to go through your apps and at least LOOK at how much of your privacy you are freely giving away.

 

[Janicholson]

Good thinking. Selling personal information and site visits is a major problem. The EU is in the middle of regulating this garbage. It is disgusting. Jim

 

[DoubleO7]

You really believe you turned off or disabled anything???

 

[Ultradog MN]

Yes I do think so.
You do have some control over what is being
gathered by making informed choices.
Many sites gather info on you and ask to set
cookies if you let them.
They get tiny particles of info and If it is
for an article I want to buy - or read, I
might click okay.
Google gathers many particles about You from
many sources and the more you give them the
better digital picture they can give of You.
I just don't want one company to gather that
much or info or have that much influance in
any one of our lives.
You can shut some of it off.

 

[UncleTom]

I have a nephew that is a crime scene investigator and he specializes in computer and cellphone forensic and even infotainment systems in vehicles. He told me that right now Google is there best tool for information. It will tell them a lot of information. He spends most of his time in court.

 

[Duner Wi]

Good for you for turning off features to enhance user experience.
Mine has so much stuff turned of it barely works.
Maybe use Firefox browser and Duck Duck Go, Search for
How to Use DuckDuckGo to Protect Your Privacy on Android.
Remember if you not the Customer , you are the market.

 

[paul]

Im with you Ultradog.

In the book 1984 the govt put a camera in everyones home to watch, spy on them.

Now turns out we volunteer line up to pay for and carry the spy machine with us everywhere we go!

I dont have a cell phone, but this iPad is only slightly less intrusive. Ive never signed up for a google or Facebook or twitter account and I use DuckDuck, but Im not dumb enough to think that does a whole lot for me, only a little. Cars and TVs and all spy on us as well.

Paul

 

[JF in MI]

You are correct. I think all the info is sent to the Chinese. My wife's aunt was over at the house last month and her phone was in another room. We were talking about a certain kind of furniture she never knew existed (but dropped it then and there) and next day a bunch of ads for that exact thing show up on her phone. Imagine if the phone was on your night stand and after a fun night a bunch of ads show up for zex toys.

 

[Dean]

We think alike, UD.

I avoid Google llike the plague.

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 19:50:49 05/25/23)
You really believe you turned off or disabled anything???

Stated as in:
those apps that have turn-off-your-activity-gathering-info are only really there to make people feel good about being able to block google from doing it.

Really, how do you confirm that your info is truly not still being gathered??

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I'm not going to say Google is benevolent, but I'm also not going to say that they are malevolent either. More like chaotic neutral.

They're not gathering data to control you, but rather to make money off you. CAN it be used for a more nefarious purpose? Sure, but there are a lot of things that CAN be used for malevolence that we would get very very upset about if they were banned.

If you think that you're hiding anything, though... ALL your information is out there already.

 

[Vito]

I miss my flip phone. All this texting gets annoying. I know quite a few that have the ringer shut off.

Vito

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Permissions are always off on my phone. I do no banking & nothing that requires a password. Once this phone dies, I'm not getting another.

Mike