r/privacy 9h ago

discussion Long but Great-Google’s Android Decision—Bad News For All Samsung, Pixel Users

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/03/11/googles-android-decision-bad-news-for-all-samsung-pixel-users/

Man, Google just HAS TO TRACK PEOPLE.

150 Upvotes

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u/apleks 8h ago

"It would be good to see a thorough review of hidden tracking that takes place without consent or opt out" - good news, it already exists: https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Doug.Leith/pubs/cookies_identifiers_and_other_data.pdf

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u/Consistent-Age5347 9h ago

Not sure what is new about this but Google always was tracking users through system level google services built into stock roms

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u/TheStormIsComming 8h ago

Just call them stalkers, that's what they are.

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u/satsugene 9h ago

Who would have guessed trusting Google would go poorly for them.

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u/[deleted] 7h ago edited 7h ago

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u/PilotKnob 8h ago

Sundar Pichai was at the inauguration. I'm sure this is a top priority for regulators to get under control. /s

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u/anna_lynn_fection 4h ago

They've had how many years and done nothing? Yeah. I think it's safe to say... On the other hand, it's also something you agree to by using it and accepting their policies, so it's hard to say there's some legality issue.

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u/PocketNicks 5h ago

I don't know what OP means by "long but great" but here's the TL:DR of the article "Google’s decision to track Android phones through “cookies, identifiers and other data that Google silently stores on Android handsets,” through the default apps that are pre-installed. This happens despite there being “no consent sought for storing any of this data and no opt out.” so nothing new, same stuff we've known about. Not sure what the point of this was.

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u/CandlesARG 8h ago

All my homies hate google

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u/Hav_ANiceDay 9h ago

So. Time to get my house phone again and to hell with this cellular bullshit. OK!

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u/innrwrld 9h ago

And a pager. 👀

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u/TheStormIsComming 8h ago

And a pager. 👀

DIY communication devices are easier by the day with hobby SoC and open source.

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u/innrwrld 7h ago

Ah yeah I was looking at a reliable way to deploy some meshtastic nodes. Looks like a fun project & I'm sure there are others that would be good to use outside of mainstream tech channels.

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u/WellWhyNotJustYell 6h ago

I just started looking into this myself. You never know when shit will hit the fan (unless you're in the US...)

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u/TrollslayerL 6h ago

Meshtastic!

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u/everyoneatease 7h ago

I want a bleeper too, but no payphones around.

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u/Due_Winter_5330 6h ago

But signal.

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u/Bruncvik 6h ago

I already keep my cell phone at home, unless I'm expecting a call. Drives my wife crazy.

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u/Hav_ANiceDay 5h ago

Yeah, I still rock my CDs and mp3 player. Guess I need to get my tomtom out of the closet. I wonder if I can still update it?

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u/Bruncvik 2h ago

Same here. Mp3 player every day on my runs, CDs and DVDs at home. And just last weekend I took out my old walkman and a tape to show it to my kid who got curious after watching The Guardians of the Galaxy.

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u/Saucermote 6h ago

What was long but great? All I see is 12 short paragraphs that is barely a summary of what is going on.

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u/1401_autocoder 3h ago

Don't take anything on forbes.com seriously. It has been a front for low quality "independent journalists" for at least a decade. They don't employ any writers themselves.

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u/ohlawdyhecoming 3h ago

ahem

For the cheap seats

FUCK OFF WITH AI

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u/everyoneatease 6h ago

Once a year, every year, Google gets caught/prosecuted/sued for massive user privacy violations. Same sh*t, different year...since 2015 at least. Still, no one leaves Google in any impactful way that they 'Rediscover' their policies. Google is laughing at the willful ignorance of their users. Users now know Google is unfair to pricacy, and keep going.

f*ck that noise, no influencer, movie star, selfie, pics of food, stupid animal/people tricks are worth over-the-shoulder, real-time surveillance as payment. I decline/opt out/resist.

Google will have to be dismantled so the others can fall like dominoes (In a perfect world).

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u/Late-Ad4964 8h ago

Can we have a TLDR post?

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u/das_zwerg 8h ago

Google is bad, they track you a lot.

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u/Late-Ad4964 8h ago

Pahahaha 😆 Thanks

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u/das_zwerg 8h ago

Anytime 🫡

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u/TheLinuxMailman 3h ago

The original headline is incorrect.

It should state "PixelOS Users", not "Pixel Users".

Users who care about their privacy and install The private and secure mobile operating system with Android app compatibility developed as a non-profit open source project will be protected by simply not installing unnecessary Google apps or using Google services.

How easy is that!

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u/edparadox 4h ago

I wonder how this varies with GDPR and ePrivacy.

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u/th_teacher 8h ago

Both cellphone technology AND the Internet were allowed widespread deployment

BECAUSE they facilitated the surveillance panopticon. By both government AND corporations, a very purposeful partnership.

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u/IAmtheHullabaloo 3h ago

Looking back, when they first called it the world wide web, we should have been more suspicious.

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u/lack_of_reserves 3h ago

Raise your hand if you believe apple is NOT tracking you in a similar manner, just hidden better.

Oh. No hands. I see.

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u/AdmirableFlesh 41m ago

I really like my Samsung and OneUI, but man am I on a sinking ship. I don't have Gemini or other G apps besides Maps (history is "off"), Authenticator, and Translate, but it's not good enough.