do all phones keep detailed logs of what you do?

[QueBert]

I installed an app on my EVO called Event Flow, which keeps a log of everything you do. I figured it would start tracking from when I installed it. But I've had the phone a week and it's listing everyone I've called/called me, all the in/out texts and every app I've installed since I activated the phone. There must be a thousand things, and I've only had the phone for a week, I know Google data mines but this seems excessive.

 

[zerocool84]

Every smartphone you use, no matter who makes it, Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc, are all tracking you. It just comes with the territory. The only way to stop them from tracking you is to not own a smartphone. It doesn't matter what apps are on it. They are all tracking you.

 

[vshah]

so you're saying it goes further back than the call log in the dialer on your evo? and shows messages that you've deleted from your sms app?

 

[QueBert]

so you're saying it goes further back than the call log in the dialer on your evo? and shows messages that you've deleted from your sms app?

Yes, I'm not sure how far back it'll actually go, but I scrolled for about a minute straight to get to the bottom of the list. I delete all my texts and it's still showing them, not just "so and so texted you" but the actual message is there. Also it's showing the location for every picture I've took. The phone can't possibly be able to store everything forever. But I'm still surprised at the level of what it retained for the past week. I can't believe every smart phone does this.

 

[Anubis]

 

[QueBert]

wow it just emailed me a monthly PDF that listed everything I did. 25 pages long (1 week) I sent about 100 texts and it's showing them all.

This is a pretty cool program, but kind of scary how much info this phone keeps track of. 25 pages for 1 week of light use. I can't imagine how long it'll be a full month with heavy usage.

 

[DivideBYZero]

What? You installed an App thats tracks everything you do on your phone and you're... surprised that it works?

 

[TheStu]

What? You installed an App thats tracks everything you do on your phone and you're... surprised that it works?

He is saying that the timeline went like this;
Day 1: Activate phone
Day 6: Install app

App's content's include Days 1 through 5. Meaning that the phone itself is logging all this and the app just exposes it.

 

[vshah]

the most surprising part to me is that it is showing text messages that he's already deleted.

i guess it would be a great app for an insecure spouse

 

[QueBert]

the most surprising part to me is that it is showing text messages that he's already deleted.

i guess it would be a great app for an insecure spouse

The troubling part to me is this means when I delete a text message it's not actually deleting it. Apparently it just removes it from the list. I can see this app ending marriages lol. Hummm I got the app inventor maybe I should create something that does a secure wipe of data like text messages. I could sell it for a buck and clean house.

 

[DivideBYZero]

He is saying that the timeline went like this;
Day 1: Activate phone
Day 6: Install app

App's content's include Days 1 through 5. Meaning that the phone itself is logging all this and the app just exposes it.

Ahh, yeah, see that now. That's pretty lame.

 

[kubani1]

the information age has little to do with the users having access to information and much more to do with the companies having information about us.

 

[QueBert]

the information age has little to do with the users having access to information and much more to do with the companies having information about us.

Yeah this experience had made me realize I need to go back to a dumb phone where having custom ring tones would be considered cutting edge. I'm tired as shit of Google watching everything I do.

 

[zebrax2]

Doesn't it have to do with when you delete files from a NAND device you don't really delete it but will stay there until it was overwritten?

 

[WelshBloke]

He is saying that the timeline went like this;
Day 1: Activate phone
Day 6: Install app

App's content's include Days 1 through 5. Meaning that the phone itself is logging all this and the app just exposes it.

It doesn't mean the phone is necessarily logging it , it could just not be deleting it securely.

It all depends on how the app is written.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah this experience had made me realize I need to go back to a dumb phone where having custom ring tones would be considered cutting edge. I'm tired as shit of Google watching everything I do.

Better get off the internet and stop using credit cards as well.

 

[QueBert]

Better get off the internet and stop using credit cards as well.

don't own a credit card, and online I don't communicate with people. If they want to monitor what Youtube videos I watch I'm cool with that. But I'm not cool with them reading text messages I send to family members and friends. My email's SSL I'd like to see Google or any company read them.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Yeah this experience had made me realize I need to go back to a dumb phone where having custom ring tones would be considered cutting edge. I'm tired as shit of Google watching everything I do.

So you realize this stuff is just kept so that software can use to for you right? AFAIK none of this logged data is sent back to Google (or apple or MS or HP or RIM for that matter). It's not like employees at these companies sit around on lunch break reading your logs.

But if you're that paranoid, more power to you.

 

[QueBert]

So you realize this stuff is just kept so that software can use to for you right? AFAIK none of this logged data is sent back to Google (or apple or MS or HP or RIM for that matter). It's not like employees at these companies sit around on lunch break reading your logs.

But if you're that paranoid, more power to you.

Explain to me why any software would need to keep text messages I've deleted? I could understand logs of how many calls or texts I sent being kept for statistical data being useful. But the actual texts I've sent are kept. When I hold and select delete on a text message, I believe it's reasonable for me to assume the text is no longer on my phone. Google's the king of data mining, so I don't think my paranoia's that far fetched. I don't think some employee's sitting around reading texts I sent 3 weeks ago, I however believe robots are digging thru my shit so Google knows better which ad's to send my way.