Google knows everything

[rh71]

Google knows everything about me. Should I be concerned? I was just futzing around with my Google settings and came across Timeline. It marked every location I've been since 2016 [and presents it in a cool manner, BTW]. We travel a lot for kids' sports so it is interesting. They state only I can see it, but how or if they'll use it is the bigger concern.

I use Maps for GPS all the time and I'm going to start using it without the history turned on. Do any of you guys turn off location history? Or is it a "who cares anymore" kind of situation for you? Because perhaps you can turn it off but they'll still record it on their servers. It is somewhat useful that I can search for something and it knows from me being there in the past.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't use google for obvious reasons.

 

[highland145]

They also recorded/saved my voice to texts. Eff that.

 

[rh71]

They also recorded/saved my voice to texts. Eff that.

I was saying to my wife one day I was having stomach problems. Then shortly an ad showed up on a website on my phone's Chrome about Pepto Bismol. I thought that eavesdropping thing only happened on Facebook. Sonova.

I proceeded to say aloud I am having menstrual cramps. Nothing yet.

 

[highland145]

I was saying to my wife one day I was having stomach problems. Then shortly an ad showed up on a website on my phone's Chrome about Pepto Bismol. I thought that eavesdropping thing only happened on Facebook. Sonova.

I proceeded to say aloud I am having menstrual cramps. Nothing yet.

lol but google's voice software is smart enough to know you're lying. Have your wife do it.

Seriously though, I found the recordings and played one. It activated my phone to sent a text to my kid.

 

[clamum]

I only turn my GPS/location on in the morning on the drive to work (cause I check traffic) and shut it off when I get to work. Then I do the same, usually, for the ride home. Otherwise my GPS/location stays off (unless I need it for some reason) so it doesn't track me too much.

 

[nakedfrog]

My location history is off.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

You can turn all that tracking stuff off. And you should.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Mine shows how boring I usually am, being a single dad it's work and back with stops to the super market....how exciting...woo hoo party animal..

 

[highland145]

Mine shows how boring I usually am, being a single dad it's work and back with stops to the super market....how exciting...woo hoo party animal..

Same but eff em.

 

[Herr Kutz]

My brother and I were talking about the new 2019 Mazda 3 today so he goes to look it up on his iPhone. After typing in only 2019 the autocomplete suggested “2019 Mazda 3 hatchback redesign”. WTF. He had never even looked it up until today.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It is crazy how much they know, and because Google, Apple, Facebook, etc... all share info with each other, it's very hard to escape all of this. If you have an Android phone (probably Apple too) it listens to your conversations as well then that data is sold to Facebook and other companies. That's why you'll often see ads on stuff that you've talked about.

These companies also know every single site you visit. Not even sure how, but they do. I tend to clear my browser history a lot, and avoid using Google, Facebook with other tabs open, as a precaution. Also use adblock, privacy badger etc. Not sure how much that helps though as I still see cues sometimes showing that they know something about me, such as something I searched for, or something I've said in a conversation.

 

[Exterous]

My location history is off.

Same here

 

[BudAshes]

Google, how can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?

 

[IronWing]

Google, how can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?

Please enter your cell phone number so that we may provide net entropy that is more relevant to you.

 

[ultimatebob]

I have Google Maps on my iPhone configured that it can only track my location when I'm using the app. Because of that, the information that they have in my timeline for the past few years is pretty sparse.

Compare that to when I had an Android phone... that timeline knew my every damn move a made all day long. If I wanted to know where I went for lunch on October 18th, 2014... it would know.

It was Subway, by the way, just in case you thought I was kidding. Spooky.

 

[brianmanahan]

i'm cool with it, i want someone to remember me when i die

 

[local]

It is irrelevant, if it isn't your phone listening to you it the the person's next to you or the connected TV in the room.

 

[rh71]

Then workplaces should really ban all cellphones because it can pick up some confidential / client info.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I turned location history off years ago, but not sure if that does any good.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's simply the price we pay for convenience.

I'd say it's worth it only because I really don't care. If companies and advertisers want to try to cater to me based on the things I do - Go for it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's not even convenience but more that there's no alternatives. I'm hoping the Librem phone really works out, it will be a platform that is more open source oriented and not full of spy stuff. The current phone ecosystems suck when it comes to privacy and openness. Android is more open than apple in terms of usability, but still very proprietary and tied to google so it's a super spy tool.