If the scandal of the social network giant Facebook and Cambridge Analytica brought a clear warning to anyone who uses the Internet, the truth is that there is much more to discover. A recent study revealed that Android smartphones send 10x more data to the tech giant Google than iOS to the tech giant Apple. It is well known and acknowledged that the tech giant Google is constantly collecting information about the use of its services and Android devices. What was unknown was the amount of information collected and how it is done, especially on Android smartphones. The research by Professor Douglas C. Schmidt of Vanderbilt University came to some conclusions, some of them disturbing, but that clearly shows the volume of data that is collected from an Android smartphone by the tech giant Google over time. The first data reveals that an Android smartphone, without being in use, send data to the tech giant Google in a volume 10 times higher than iOS sends to the tech giant Apple. This value increases whenever the device is in use. In 24 hours, an Android smartphone with Chrome active and running in the background, transmits its location 340 times, making 14 communications per hour. The location information is one of the most transmitting data, counting with 35% of the information transmitted. For its part, from iOS with Safari running, the information sent without the device being used is marginal. Another important fact is that the tech giant Google is able to associate anonymous data received with real information from users, using their advertising algorithms. These should be anonymous, but when data associated with devices is sent, it is easy to track users. This practice is extended to other elements of the tech giant Google’s services, with the DoubleClick cookie ID, which records user activity on one of the sites. When the tech giant Google associates this identifier with a user account, it is easy to map the activity is done, something that should be anonymous from the beginning. Finally, and in what were the main conclusions of this study, it was shown that the collection of information from Android users occurs mainly when the devices are not being used by the users. With more than 2 billion Android users having their devices connected 24 hours a day, it’s almost impossible to quantify the amount of data the tech giant Google can collect and then process. If you wish to read more about this study, the information collected and the conclusions made can read it directly from here. It is clear that the information that the tech giant Google collects about its users is huge and that it needs this data in order to keep its structure working and generating high profits. So, what do you think about this? Simply share all your views and thoughts in the comment section below.
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