An idle Pixel device shares 1 MB of personal data every 12 hours with Google, the iPhone is no better: study

An idle Pixel device shares 1 MB of personal data every 12 hours with Google, the iPhone is no better: study

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Android smartphones and Apple’s iPhone send data to their respective companies every 4 ½ minutes on average, The Irish Times reports.

The data is shared even when you are not actively using the device.

The report is based on a study published by Professor Doug Leith of Trinity College Dublin.

While Google devices are said to collect more data than iPhones, the two companies appear to have similar data collection practices.

To be more specific, the study found that an idle Google Pixel smartphone sends 1 MB of data every 12 hours, against 52 KB for the iPhone.

Details such as the hardware serial number, Wifi MAC address, IMEI, phone number and insertion of a SIM are among the data being shared by smartphones.

Apple, which considers itself pro-privacy, also appears to be collecting excessive data.

IPhones not only collect data about smartphone activity, but also spy on nearby devices. When someone connects to a Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi MAC addresses of other phones on the network are also sent to the Cupertino giant.

I think most people accept that Apple and Google need to collect data from our phones to provide services like iCloud or Google Drive. But when we simply use our phones as phones – to make and receive calls and nothing more – it is much more difficult to understand why Apple and Google need to collect data.

However, in this study we found that Apple and Google collect a wealth of information in precisely this situation. It seems excessive and it is difficult to see why it is necessary.

The WiFi MAC address identifies a device on a WiFi network and, for example, uniquely identifies your home router, coffee access point, or office network. This means that Apple can track the people you are close to, as well as when and where. This is very worrying. “- Prof Leith.

There is no way to cancel data collection and there are concerns that companies may be able to link device data to other sources, such as web browsing.

Google says that device data is needed to keep the operating system up to date.

This research describes how smartphones work. Modern cars regularly send basic data about vehicle components, their safety status and service hours to car manufacturers, and cell phones work in very similar ways. This report details these communications, which helps to ensure that the iOS or Android software is up to date, the services work as expected, and that the phone is secure and working efficiently.

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