In recent times almost all technology companies have been very vocal about dealing with the personal data of users. And the biggest pressure has been on the Android and iPhone makers as they make products which turn out to be the main drivers behind putting the privacy of a user at risk.
However, it feels like the companies just don’t care apart from showing their concerns regarding privacy in ads as according to a recent study your iPhones or Android smartphones are sending your personal information to the respective maker companies every 4 and half minutes on average - irrespective of whether you are using the phone or not.
The research has been conducted at Trinity College Dublin and published by Prof Doug Leith that has also bluntly claimed that there is very little difference between Apple and Google when it comes to taking care of the privacy of users.
But with that being said, the only difference between both comes in the form of the size of data being sent back as Google handsets collect a considerably larger volume of handset data (around 1MB) every 12 hours as compared to the 52KB which an iPhone sends to Apple.
The items that compile up in the form of data being potentially sent back by the handsets include the insertion of a SIM and also every little detail regarding the headset like its hardware serial number, IMEI, Wifi MAC address, and last but not the least phone number.
On the other hand, Prof Leith also said that it seems like people accept the fact that Apple and Google collect their data only because they think phones need such information for services like iCloud or Google Drive. While that alone can make sense, it is harder to see why would Apple or Google need for our data when users are using their phones to do calls and nothing more.
Prof Leith is disappointed to see Apple doing a similar act in particular after talking so much about privacy in the recent past.
The report has also revealed the surprising fact that all of these devices also collect the data of handsets nearby. So, if in case a user connects an iPhone to a wifi network, the WiFi MAC addresses of other devices connected to that network are then also automatically sent to Apple.
This precisely also means that Apple is now able to track people you are near to in the time being, when, and also where. Users are not being given the liberty to opt-out of the data collection and the entire process is scary!
All of the data can be easily linked to other sources like web browsing and shopping purchases in this day and age.
When Google was asked about the claim made in the report, their spokesperson said that the research basically only explains how smartphones work, plus, they disagree with the claims made in the study. Google explained that the data collection process is a lot like modern cars that keep sending basic info about the vehicle to ensure safety and service schedules to car manufacturers.
In the similar way, these communications are done to make sure that operating systems and software remains up to date, services work well and on top of it all, the phone is secure.
No one from Apple commented on the study as of yet!
Read next: 4 in 10 of the top apps in the US ask for background location access to track your every single move, while same is the case for half of the apps in China
However, it feels like the companies just don’t care apart from showing their concerns regarding privacy in ads as according to a recent study your iPhones or Android smartphones are sending your personal information to the respective maker companies every 4 and half minutes on average - irrespective of whether you are using the phone or not.
The research has been conducted at Trinity College Dublin and published by Prof Doug Leith that has also bluntly claimed that there is very little difference between Apple and Google when it comes to taking care of the privacy of users.
But with that being said, the only difference between both comes in the form of the size of data being sent back as Google handsets collect a considerably larger volume of handset data (around 1MB) every 12 hours as compared to the 52KB which an iPhone sends to Apple.
The items that compile up in the form of data being potentially sent back by the handsets include the insertion of a SIM and also every little detail regarding the headset like its hardware serial number, IMEI, Wifi MAC address, and last but not the least phone number.
On the other hand, Prof Leith also said that it seems like people accept the fact that Apple and Google collect their data only because they think phones need such information for services like iCloud or Google Drive. While that alone can make sense, it is harder to see why would Apple or Google need for our data when users are using their phones to do calls and nothing more.
Prof Leith is disappointed to see Apple doing a similar act in particular after talking so much about privacy in the recent past.
The report has also revealed the surprising fact that all of these devices also collect the data of handsets nearby. So, if in case a user connects an iPhone to a wifi network, the WiFi MAC addresses of other devices connected to that network are then also automatically sent to Apple.
This precisely also means that Apple is now able to track people you are near to in the time being, when, and also where. Users are not being given the liberty to opt-out of the data collection and the entire process is scary!
All of the data can be easily linked to other sources like web browsing and shopping purchases in this day and age.
When Google was asked about the claim made in the report, their spokesperson said that the research basically only explains how smartphones work, plus, they disagree with the claims made in the study. Google explained that the data collection process is a lot like modern cars that keep sending basic info about the vehicle to ensure safety and service schedules to car manufacturers.
In the similar way, these communications are done to make sure that operating systems and software remains up to date, services work well and on top of it all, the phone is secure.
No one from Apple commented on the study as of yet!
Read next: 4 in 10 of the top apps in the US ask for background location access to track your every single move, while same is the case for half of the apps in China
