Is Google Now really bad for your privacy?

[yukichi]

By enabling Google now, is it constantly sending your location/private information to Google without you knowing? Or does it send information only whenever you use it like with Apple's Siri? I am hesitant to use Google Now for this reason. It seems annoying if every hour even when your not using the phone, information is being sent to Google that may not only drain battery, but also just the fact that information is being sent to Google constantly may have some drain on battery life like it or not.

 

[dannyboy414]

Absolutely. Check out https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0

This comes from the guy that doesn't mind. It all depends on what services they're will to provide for me for giving up my location/privacy. I think they ping once every 20mins so it should eat up that much battery at all. *And as long as Google doesn't have access to Predators, I'm okay for now.

 

[Chex313]

If your signed in to your phone via Gmail , which you are. They know everything already. Maps,Latitude, every move is tracked...Hope your not paranoid.

"I once thought I was being followed, it was just my shadow, I was able to give it the slip at night"

 

[Basscase]

Google owns me.

I for one welcome our Google overlords.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mmace]

By enabling Google now, is it constantly sending your location/private information to Google without you knowing? Or does it send information only whenever you use it like with Apple's Siri? I am hesitant to use Google Now for this reason. It seems annoying if every hour even when your not using the phone, information is being sent to Google that may not only drain battery, but also just the fact that information is being sent to Google constantly may have some drain on battery life like it or not.

you can't compare it to Siri, it's a completely different product, you can compare voice search, but not Google Now

 

[cynicist]

By enabling Google now, is it constantly sending your location/private information to Google without you knowing?

How else do you think those cards work? They can't send you traffic info or package delivery updates without knowing where you are/reading your email. Personally I think it's worth it for the services they can provide with that data.

 

[cnguyen0320]

Google won't hurt you. What you should fear is if someone somehow got that information and your location history... the ways they could use that...

 

[Hubertsng]

I'm pretty sure you still get privacy when you use it or they will tell you in a terms and agreement (who reads those ).
If you are scared of your privacy, i understand buti don't see a way around it if you are.
No harm in using it though imo

 

[anon(847090)]

if you are not a terrorist or doing really bad things why do you care?? you are one in 500 million users and you think google(Goverment) will just pick on you???

you have the option to enable/disable every aspect of google now.

google wont sell your details. they will just keep it to them self and use it to give you ads.

you have an email account!! what private info do you think they dont ask when you create an account?

location/private information is disabled my default.

let me ask you a question. do you think Carriers(ATT,Verizon etc) dont know about you??? they know you more than google. they even know your SSN

 

[andr0idralphie]

As long as you own, use, operate anything networked in any way there is a digital trail. Do not expect privacy from anything and be cautious, if you like, over what Okay buttons you click and tap. One good piece of advice I came across years ago when reading about how servers worked (paraphrase); Don't put in any email what you wouldn't write on a postcard.

As we live more and more in an Orwellian 1984-style Thought Police/Google Now/Siri/Kinect world, though, we must be careful about what we feel comfortable even thinking of searching for... "terrorist" is relative to the definition of an archetypical mind frame sold to the masses who readily believe to be true any news sourced from a recognized authority. Jesus was a "terrorist" in his day.

To paraphrase still1; Don't think different and you'll be okay! Okay?

 

[gone down south]

Our lives are all pretty boring, other than customizing some ads for you Google really has no other use for your personal data.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[DirkBelig]

People freak out over Google and Facebook having their information, but they can only know what you tell them. Every time FB changes their privacy policy, half of the place flips out and wets themselves over their precious personal data being exposed. Here's an idea, folks, how about not putting every last bit of info online? I don't have my workplace on there; I don't check into my banks or doctors on FourSquare; if you can do math you can ballpark my age from my graduation date, but in general the good stuff is kept close to the vest.

Dennis Miller had a joke about how people were paranoid that the Patriot Act was going to allow the government to listen to their phone calls, saying that he already knew all about their sister's affair with their husband's brother and how Aunt Mabel's bunion surgery turned out because they were yakking on their cell phone in line behind him at the bank. Worried about Now tracking you? Turn it off. Problem solved.

 

[Jnorton2724]

Absolutely. Check out https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0

This comes from the guy that doesn't mind. It all depends on what services they're will to provide for me for giving up my location/privacy. I think they ping once every 20mins so it should eat up that much battery at all. *And as long as Google doesn't have access to Predators, I'm okay for now.

I didn't know this showed my Google Now information but thats nice to know. Thank you for posting it.

 

[swartzz]

All the information that google gets daily is a bit concerning. But so far they've only publicly being using it for ads, so I won't complain since its convenient but ones I start seeing red flags or information mismanaged, am switching os.

 

[FYourProblems]

People freak out over Google and Facebook having their information, but they can only know what you tell them. Every time FB changes their privacy policy, half of the place flips out and wets themselves over their precious personal data being exposed. Here's an idea, folks, how about not putting every last bit of info online? I don't have my workplace on there; I don't check into my banks or doctors on FourSquare; if you can do math you can ballpark my age from my graduation date, but in general the good stuff is kept close to the vest.

Dennis Miller had a joke about how people were paranoid that the Patriot Act was going to allow the government to listen to their phone calls, saying that he already knew all about their sister's affair with their husband's brother and how Aunt Mabel's bunion surgery turned out because they were yakking on their cell phone in line behind him at the bank. Worried about Now tracking you? Turn it off. Problem solved.

But but but I like the CONVENIENCE!! Can't we have the best of both worlds?

 

[purpulehaze]

Google owns me.

I for one welcome our Google overlords.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

That's funny as hell man lol

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

 

[JohnDoes]

Google just wants to know where you are to protect you, google is your friend, your mother and father, so don't bother to give google back the love.

 

[YoSaintLaurent]

I for one am just fine with Google storing my location data for me. It makes providing an alibi quick and easy!

 

[Hubertsng]

I for one am just fine with Google storing my location data for me. It makes providing an alibi quick and easy!

Here's an article on this site that talks about google now
Google Now making it clear that it is keeping location data | Android Central
All it does is track your location.

 

[nickacs]

People freak out over Google and Facebook having their information, but they can only know what you tell them. Every time FB changes their privacy policy, half of the place flips out and wets themselves over their precious personal data being exposed. Here's an idea, folks, how about not putting every last bit of info online? I don't have my workplace on there; I don't check into my banks or doctors on FourSquare; if you can do math you can ballpark my age from my graduation date, but in general the good stuff is kept close to the vest.

Dennis Miller had a joke about how people were paranoid that the Patriot Act was going to allow the government to listen to their phone calls, saying that he already knew all about their sister's affair with their husband's brother and how Aunt Mabel's bunion surgery turned out because they were yakking on their cell phone in line behind him at the bank. Worried about Now tracking you? Turn it off. Problem solved.

+1000000000
FB = root of all evil. Seriously, when you get down to it, FB is just plain stupid. It's "luster" has long wore off and for the complete idiots that post every minute taking a dump, eating a hot dog, shopping at Kmart, then they deserve all the problems that come with it. I've come across 2, yes TWO, marriages of close friends of mine come to divorce because of FB, 1 identify theft because of FB and 1 home break-in because of FB. Yes, I love seeing everyone post their on vacation in CA when they live in NY. HEY EVERYONE, I'm not home!! Weeeee.... <face slap> Complete morons
Again, you get what you deserve by the crap you post on FB