Android & Google Privacy Q's

ixus

I'm still on a prehistoric mobile, just haven't had the need to upgrade. Saying that, I'm thinking of taking the leap and getting an S3.

I'm a bit apprehensive about how much information google and facebook can actually access on a person and I want to limit this as much as possible while still using their services.

If I get an S3 (or any android), do I have to give google/gmail my mobile in order to access my gmail accounts. Similarly, when I log into facebook with the mobile, will it automatically record my mobile and tell everyone I'm now on facebook with xxx (I hate seeing those messages).

Also, I don''t want gmail connecting my mobile to my numerous gmail accounts (I'm very shady you know ) Is it possible to keep them from linking everything (no doubt they probably already have but still..)

Any other privacy issues/solutions before I take the plunge?

Appreciate any help I can get.

Ixus

srsly78

If you don't associate your android smartphone with a google account you will lose access to 90% of functionality - like the app store for example.

Zagato

They likely now all this information already. Unless you only use certain gmail accounts from certain computers; they will already have your ip address if they want.

Which are you trying to avoid: Google having the information, or it appearing publicly/searchable?

Google probably do have access to your phone number, but they don't display it/publish it anywhere.

You can switch location services off, so they don't know where you are.

Google's primary aim for collecting information is to focus advertising individually, because that is how they get there revenue.

kenyard

facebook onl;y does that with and at thing when u update it like that... i never use it. besides that its like using fb on a small pc. everything else the same..

as for gmail on ur phone you can acess them all through the browser and be fine. just set one up as ur main phone account and use that for apps etc...you do need to link one account to access the app store.. its pretty much just for that

privacy issues? just tinker with individual settings and ull be grand.. gmail in itself along with facebook have all the details on u they need to know already dude :P

the phone doenst or any phone for that matter.. doesnt do anything u dont want.
linking basically benefits you more than anything. everyone on your facebook can be downloaded to ur phone so you have their numbers - if they share them on facebook. they wont have urs unless u have it filled in on facebook and shared there
all privacy concerns you have about google and facebook you have already by having those accounts online on a pc. having a phone makes no alterations to them, if you have them set up right on ur pc u have no worries and getting a smartphone wont make odds or ends either way

Nolimits

I understand you not wanting to send your phone number to everyone on facebook, but as already been said you need to opt into this, other than that I don't really see what the problem is. To Google you're just a really long number, they don't care about what you like, they just want to know what it is so they can charge advertisers money to make sure you see adds about the kind of things you're likely to be interested in.

I guess I was really the first generation to use the internet from a young age, I was about 14 or 15 when I got in my dial up internet in but the online privacy thing really doesn't bother me as long as it's a company like Google etc that want it when they have no interest in me as an individual.


As long as they don't start looking at my incognito browsing in I don't want them to know about my "present buying"