“A new study has found that a stationary iPhone sends data 50 times less frequently to Google’s servers than a stationary Android phone,” Liam Tung reports for ZDNet. “That’s according to a 55-page report titled ‘Google Data Collection’, carried out by Professor Douglas C Schmidt, professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University.”
“The study comes as Google faces criticism and now a lawsuit over the revelation that turning off Location History does stop it tracking iPhone and Android users’ location,” Tung reports. “To compare Google’s passive data collection, Schmidt set up an Android phone with Chrome active in the background, and an iPhone with Safari but not Chrome. Both the phones were left stationary and untouched for 24 hours. Over that period Schmidt found that the Android device sent 900 data samples to Google’s servers, of which about 35 percent were location related, while the remainder was for Google Play, and device data.”
“In total, the Android device sent about 4.4MB per day to Google while the iPhone sent 0.76MB per day, or about six times less data than the Android phone,” Tung reports. “Google’s servers sent just over 40 requests per hour to the Android device compared with 0.73 requests per hour to the iPhone. The comparison also found that iPhones send data 10 times less frequently to Apple’s servers than the Android device sent data to Google’s servers.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If it’s not an iPhone, it’s a tracking device shaped like an iPhone.
SEE ALSO:
Android sucks 10x more personal data than Apple’s iPhone – August 22, 2018
Researchers find Google harvests more data from Android – and Apple iOS – users than most people think – August 21, 2018
Google hit with lawsuit accusing them of tracking phone users regardless of privacy settings – August 20, 2018
Google tracks users movements even when explicitly told not to – Associated Press – August 13, 2018
New Android malware records ambient audio, fires off premium-rate texts, and harvests files, photos, contacts, and more – March 2, 2018
How Google is secretly recording Android settlers, monitoring millions of conversations every day and storing the creepy audio files – August 22, 2017
Android apps secretly tracking users by listening to inaudible sound hidden in ads – May 8, 2017
Edward Snowden: No matter what, do not use Google’s new Allo messenger app – September 23, 2016
Apple’s iOS 11 will deliver even more privacy to users – June 8, 2017
Google to pay $5.5 million for sneaking around Apple’s privacy settings to collect user data – August 31, 2016
Apple takes a swing at privacy-tampling, personal data-guzzling rivals like Google – September 29, 2015
Apple reinvents the privacy policy – September 29, 2015
Apple: Hey Siri and Live Photos data stays only on your device to ensure privacy – September 12, 2015
Apple issues iPhone manifesto; blasts Android’s lack of updates, lack of privacy, rampant malware – August 10, 2015
Edward Snowden supports Apple’s stance on customer privacy – June 17, 2015
Mossberg: Apple’s latest product is privacy – June 12, 2015
Apple looks to be building an alternative to the Google-branded, hand-over-your-privacy ‘Internet Experience’ – June 11, 2015
Understanding Apple and privacy – June 8, 2015
Edward Snowden: Apple is a privacy pioneer – June 5, 2015
Edward Snowden’s privacy tips: ‘Get rid of Dropbox,” avoid Facebook and Google – October 13, 2014
Apple CEO Tim Cook ups privacy to new level, takes direct swipe at Google – September 18, 2014
Apple slams Google in Safari 7.1 release notes: ‘Adds DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn’t track users’ – September 18, 2014
A message from Tim Cook about Apple’s commitment to your privacy – September 18, 2014
Apple will no longer unlock most iPhones, iPads for police, even with search warrants – September 18, 2014
Google to pay $17 million to settle U.S. states’ Safari user tracking probe – November 20, 2013
Judge dismisses case against Google over Safari user tracking – October 11, 2013
UK Apple Safari users sue Google for secretly tracking Web browsing – January 28, 2013
Google pays $22.5 million to settle charges of bypassing Apple Safari privacy settings – August 9, 2012
US FTC votes to fine Google $22.5 million for bypassing Safari privacy settings; Settlement allows Google to admit no liability – July 31, 2012
Google’s D.C. lobbyists have outspent Apple nearly 10 to 1 so far this year – July 23, 2012
Google to pay $22.5 million to settle charges over bypassing privacy settings of millions of Apple users – July 10, 2012
Apple’s anti-user tracking policy has mobile advertisers scrambling – May 9, 2012
Google said to be negotiating amount of U.S. FTC fine over Apple Safari breach – May 4, 2012
Cookies and privacy, Google and Safari – February 25, 2012
Obama’s privacy plan puts pinch on Google – February 24, 2012
Obama administration outlines online privacy guidelines – February 23, 2012
Google sued by Apple Safari-user for bypassing browser privacy – February 21, 2012
Google responds to Microsoft over privacy issues, calls IE’s cookie policy ‘widely non-operational’ – February 21, 2012
Google’s tracking of Safari users could prompt FTC investigation – February 18, 2012
WSJ: Google tracked iPhone, iPad users, bypassing Apple’s Safari browser privacy settings; Microsoft denounces – February 17, 2012
Not only is it child’s play for the authorities to track your every move through Google Android devices and services but they can easily take your texts complete with pics as well. As a result I advise all criminals to use Google phones and services. Makes it so much easier for law enforcement to nab you.
Google plays a word game. They don’t “track” you; rather they do what they do to “assist” you. Even “assist” might not be the correct word, but they DO play the word game to avoid (in their mind) legally being charged with “tracking”.
Kinda like a former president who answered a question with “It depends on what your definition of “is” is.
Wow,
For the first time ever, MDN fixes a mistake it made in a headline or article. Amazing!
Wow, for the first time I’ve seen, MDN has deleted comments! Amazing!