Big Brother is watching

[NickS VR4]

https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0


As if we didn't know, Google is tracking everywhere you go, and logging dates and times.

[NickS VR4]

Looks like June 28, 2012 was when they started logging me (or when I enabled something to let them)

[stealthee]

I never have GPS turned on on my phone. I also have location history disabled through Google. Big brother isn't watching me. ;)

[NickS VR4]

I actually think it is my work phone (iPhone) that is tracking me. It seems to be about when I turned that on. I'll see if it still tracks me with that off.

[green-lantern]

https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0


As if we didn't know, Google is tracking everywhere you go, and logging dates and times.

So if I check that link on my phone it should show everywhere I've been?....with my phone?

[stealthee]

You don't even have to check it with your phone. You can check it when you are signed into your gmail account.

[NickS VR4]

So if I check that link on my phone it should show everywhere I've been?....with my phone?


You don't even have to check it with your phone. You can check it when you are signed into your gmail account.

What he said. If you are logged into Google services on any of your phones with GPS on, it seems Google is logging your location and linking it to your Google account.

[green-lantern]

I'm logged in so I guess not tracking me.

[stealthee]

There are two ways to avoid the tracking. There is an option right in your location services of gmail to turn off tracking, and like I said, just turn off the GPS on your phone.

[Steve '92ES]

You just think they're not tracking you. Just because they don't display it doesn't mean they don't have it....

[green-lantern]

You just think they're not tracking you. Just because they don't display it doesn't mean they don't have it....

Yeah I believe this, I think these days if you have a phone, they can tell where you are.

[93STLTH]

They have no tracking history on me. I guess it's because I never use my phone for anything except phone calls and texts. I'm thinking they're only interested when you enter a store of some kind, so they can send you ads related to the stores you go to.

[stealthee]

You just think they're not tracking you. Just because they don't display it doesn't mean they don't have it....

I'm sure they could track ping history if they wanted to, but as far as google is concerned they don't have any GPS history.

[Steve '92ES]

That you know of.
You can't "shut off" the GPS. It has to be on, all the time, in case you dial 911.
What your doing is "shutting it off" in software. Which is a lot like asking. Please don't track me.
Think about it. If your using Android you're asking Google to please not let Google track you.
How far do you trust that???

I mean, I'm just sayin.... ;)

[JasonY]

Had the same Andoid phone for like 4 years now, no history on either gmail account both linked to my phone.

Jason

[mdcrose]

Cops in DC are now tracking bluetooth devices. So they have systems that realtime process every license plate that passes a police car, now with the Bluetooth device tracking they can tell what passengers are in a car or pass by a certain location. Plus they can use a device like the stringray to simulate a cell tower connection and sniff all of your transmitted data. It's crazy, makes me have second thoughts for ever getting a smart phone.

[Maximal]

This is something you can easily turn off in your settings.

[Echo419]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYIJSSZY

[a2j]

There are two ways to avoid the tracking. There is an option right in your location services of gmail to turn off tracking, and like I said, just turn off the GPS on your phone.
They can still track you with wi-fi and mobile network location, even with GPS off.


You just think they're not tracking you. Just because they don't display it doesn't mean they don't have it....

Yep. How else would I get a location specific tornado warning while being out of state.

[Steve '92ES]

Huh. Now I get to disagree with someone agreeing with me...
It depends on who is sending the warning. If it's your carrier (Verizon, AT&T, ect) they know roughly where you are by the cell tower your on.
For something like a weather warning all they have to do is broadcast the warning to everyone on the towers in the affected area.
Much simpler than tracking people one by one in real time, and probably more effective. If you're traveling and drive into the danger area you'll get the warning as soon as your phone connects to the tower. No GPS needed.

I still say though that you can't shut the GPS off. It's still there, receiving GPS signals and calculating your position. All the time. When you "shut it off" in the settings all you doing is telling the operating system to not make that data available to applications. But there's always exceptions and "white lists". Applications that get that data no matter what you say. You know thats true because 911 still gets it even when you disable it. Who else has access to it? Who knows! One example I suggested was Google, who owns the Android operating system. Are you sure Google didn't "white list" themselves? Google, the company that's famous for collecting data about everyone? Wanna bet on that?? ;)

I'm trying not to be overly paranoid but in this day and age you just can't make any assumptions about your privacy. Including that things are off when you shut them off....

[wingnut]

There are two ways to avoid the tracking. There is an option right in your location services of gmail to turn off tracking, and like I said, just turn off the GPS on your phone.

...or just dont have a google account? :D

[Steve '92ES]

Why do I even bother.......

[Echo419]

I would think trying to turn my tracking off would make the gov't want to track me even more. "oh this guy doesn't want us following him. he must be up to something.". :suspect:

[Steve '92ES]

Now that's the kind of cynical thinking we need!

[Echo419]

Now that's the kind of cynical thinking we need!
they call me cynical until I'm proven right. then I'm clairvoiant. ;)

[Steve '92ES]

Yeah, they call me psychic. Or psychotic. It was one or the other.....

[stealthee]

Yep. How else would I get a location specific tornado warning while being out of state.

I only get tornado warnings for the location I have set up in my weather app. I was out of state and I got a warning for the area I lived, not the area I was in, even though, as it turned out, the area I was in had tornado warnings as well.

[a2j]

I only get tornado warnings for the location I have set up in my weather app. I was out of state and I got a warning for the area I lived, not the area I was in, even though, as it turned out, the area I was in had tornado warnings as well.

I no longer have weather app. I was getting a weather warnings for the area that I was currently in and everybody around me. Our phones were going off at the same time. So I knew that it wasn't the app, but they know the location of my phone. My GPS was off.

[wingnut]

"but if you are not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about"

...bull$hit i say, if i cant pull the battery out i dont trust it :p

[CoopKill]

"but if you are not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about"

...bull$hit i say, if i cant pull the battery out i dont trust it :p

Throw away your Apple tech then! :p

[wingnut]

Throw away your Apple tech then! :p

Cant, company supplied phone for on call...

...didnt say i wouldnt USE it, just that i dont TRUST it :D

[Steve '92ES]

...bull$hit i say, if i cant pull the battery out i dont trust it
Unfortunately you can't even trust that anymore. Many newer devices have battery backup, meant to save your settings if the main battery goes dead. From what I understand one of the "settings" they save is your GPS information.....

[NickS VR4]

Unfortunately you can't even trust that anymore. Many newer devices have battery backup, meant to save your settings if the main battery goes dead. From what I understand one of the "settings" they save is your GPS information.....

Maybe at the time of power off, but I highly doubt a battery backup would keep the GPS enabled, that battery would be dead immediately.

[j2k4]

My assumption is that every shred of info to be gleaned from my phone/PC has been irretrievably compromised, PERIOD.

Nothing to talk about beyond that.

[CoopKill]

Maybe at the time of power off, but I highly doubt a battery backup would keep the GPS enabled, that battery would be dead immediately.

He speaks of the GPS history in memory.

[IPD]

And people wonder why I don't want to use ANYTHING "google". I never log in to google. I also don't have a smartphone. In my opinion, you can't take yourself off the grid...unless you are a complete hermit & live without utilities/electricity. The only option is to make yourself LESS visible than most other people.

It's no different than locking your car/house. A determined thief WILL gain access and/or do what he/she wants. The trick is to make yourself a less appealing target than the "next guy". And that's one of the reasons why I've politely asked everyone on here to refrain from using my real name in public conversations (PM's don't count).

I can only imagine what the guy running for president in 2040 will have to endure in the guise of "background checks". "Sir, did you once tweet a photo of your naked ass?"

[NickS VR4]

As far as I'm concerned. Google knows it's me whether or not i'm logged in. They know my IP address, and if somehow I've managed to get by that part, they still have a profile on me based on that anonymous IP address, which will eventually get linked the one day I do log into a Google service on that IP.

Which is why I'm so against the Government (read NSA) having their hands and eyes on all the 3rd party databases. I get why google has and collects the information, but I feel as though the 4th Amendment right should protect us all from the government having access to that information. And since the internet has been declared a human right, if i'm not mistaken, our privacy on the internet should also be our right.

[IPD]

and THAT is why i will only log into my google voice account--just to make 1 time changes to it--while i'm on a VPN service. :)

[IPD]

Mind me asking if you don't like to use Google, how do you search? What phone do you use? How do you do anything on the internet?

I do use google search on my laptop. I use a nokia feature phone, although it's actually cost--not privacy--that has dictated that. I do a lot of things on the internet, but I try avoiding using my real name, and I certainly don't participate in places like /b/ where a slip-up is incentive for some haxxor to try and post all your personal information in public.

[NickS VR4]

I do use google search on my laptop. I use a nokia feature phone, although it's actually cost--not privacy--that has dictated that. I do a lot of things on the internet, but I try avoiding using my real name, and I certainly don't participate in places like /b/ where a slip-up is incentive for some haxxor to try and post all your personal information in public.

Caught my ninja delete? I didn't read through your whole post before I wrote that reply.

[IPD]

Email notification caught your ninja-edit. :awesome:

[wingnut]

Oh, dont kid yourself, it aint just google...

Feds Creating Database to Track ?Hate Speech? on TwitterWashington Free Beacon | Washington Free Beacon (http://freebeacon.com/issues/feds-creating-database-to-track-hate-speech-on-twitter/)

[Echo419]

Oh, dont kid yourself, it aint just google...

Feds Creating Database to Track ?Hate Speech? on TwitterWashington Free Beacon | Washington Free Beacon (http://freebeacon.com/issues/feds-creating-database-to-track-hate-speech-on-twitter/)
"Hate Speech". aka anything that is contrary to the liberal agenda.

[IPD]

I have few qualms about being persecuted for exercising my own constitutional rights--even to the point of death. For if I am not allowed to have my consitutional freedoms...then I no longer wish to live in this country.

[CoopKill]

"hate speech". Aka anything that is contrary to the agenda.

ftfy!

[wingnut]

So, is this then more "smoke and mirrors" to make us feel better...

FBI Director James Comey 'Very Concerned' About New Apple, Google Privacy Features | Red Alert Politics (http://redalertpolitics.com/2014/09/26/fbi-director-james-comey-concerned-new-apple-google-privacy-features/)

...or is it real?

[IPD]

No idea. TBH, it never should have been a big deal in the first place. No where--except in the minds of the NSA, Obama & the sonsofbitches who approved the patriot act--is it written that the constitutional privacy afforded US citizens only applies to the law-ABIDING citizens...or that said privacy has to be inherently violated to determine who those law abiding citizens are.

The USA still believes that a preventive posture is the correct one. While I believe that some things can be prevented, the truth is--a reactionary posture is the best one; i.e. average citizens carrying firearms, rapid response & recovery forces, etc.

P.S.
It's no longer supported, but there are programs like TrueCrypt out there that will obfuscate your data well beyond easy access--for storage purposes. One thing I like about TrueCrypt is that it even offers false-unlocking, by allowing you to create hidden storage with a fake password (along with the real password)--so even if you're somehow "forced" to unlock it, you can put in the fake password & only that portion will be unlocked.

Hell, I don't even break the law, but I relish keeping my stuff under electronic locks & keys. It's the principle that matters to me.

[IPD]

Looks to be legit:

DailyTech - FBI Outraged That Apple, Google are Adopting Digital "Locks" to Protect Users (http://www.dailytech.com/FBI+Outraged+That+Apple+Google+are+Adopting+Digita l+Locks+to+Protect+Users/article36616.htm)

I'm loving the comments. Fuck this "we're above the law" NSA/patriot act bullshit. half the damn camel jockeys that want to kill us don't even know how to use technology--let alone have even seen it.

[NickS VR4]

Most of what they want is still in the hands of the carriers and Google/Apple servers.

[lawdogg]

Am I the only one who thinks this is extremely cool?? Looks like I'm in there since 12/12/13. It's fun to go see where I was every day

[KeithMac]

No details for me!, would be pretty boring anyway..