by rany_ on 3/4/25, 1:42 PM
> Another tracker which cannot be removed once created is the Google Android ID, a device identifier that's linked to a user's Google account and created after the first connection made to the device by Google Play Services.
The Android ID isn't actually unique anymore. Every app you install will see a different Android ID. https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/04/changes-to...
by fallinditch on 3/4/25, 3:26 PM
If it takes research by a leading academic to uncover this device behavior then what hope is there for us mere morals who don't want their identity to be tracked and traded?
Is it impossible to use a smart phone with strict privacy, or just very difficult?
by danpalmer on 3/4/25, 3:17 PM
by exabrial on 3/4/25, 12:44 PM
I’m ready for a third operating system, not tied to an advertising company, where you have root access to inspect them system, revenue is generated through OS refreshes and SDK licensure.
To this day, I can’t believe that an _operating system _ has provisions in it for advertising.
by everdrive on 3/4/25, 3:09 PM
I think a lot of non-technical users really don’t understand the distinction between how the OS vs. how any given app can spy on you. Even in technical circles, this issue gets confused. Is Android or iOS better for privacy? Well, modern Android (arguably) gives you better privacy controls for apps, however Android OS itself performs an order of magnitude more spying that iOS does.
by Havoc on 3/4/25, 1:08 PM
Adtech company doing adtech things.
by dredmorbius on 3/4/25, 4:56 PM
Can anyone ELI5 what the situation with the Android ID is when no Google account has ever been created, and all app installs are through an alternative store interface, whether a front-end to Google Play (e.g., Aurora) or a freestanding store (e.g., FDroid)?
by knowitnone on 3/4/25, 6:57 PM
Google owns the whole OS so expect that they are tracking you 100% of the time. Same with Microsoft.
by princevegeta89 on 3/4/25, 3:09 PM
Recently, I thought Maps was the app that tracks me everywhere I go.
I put Maps in Incognito mode just as an attempt to disable it, but guess what?
It still tracked me all the time. The only difference Incognito made was not remember my search history
by exabrial on 3/4/25, 12:39 PM
Silicon Valley has no concept of willful consent.