Privacy compromises of enabling Android "Location Accuracy"

Questions
1

Hello,

I’ve preferred Android for years but have never fully trusted Google. Due to this and to save power, I’ve had the habit of only enabling Location on my Android devices when I need it. For example, I’d enable Location when using Maps.

In a recent version of Android, Google have increased how they nag users to enable “Location Accuracy”. This feature uses WiFi and Bluetooth scans in addition to Satellite navigation (GPS).

“Location Accuracy, which provides more accurate location for apps and services. To do this, Google periodically processes information about device sensors and wireless signals from your device to crowdsource wireless signal locations. These are used without identifying you to improve location accuracy and location-based services and to improve, provide and maintain Google’s services based on Google’s and third parties’ legitimate interests to serve users’ needs.”

The pop-up has a link to this page.

I seem to remember that previously enabling this feature gave Google permission to record your location. Even if that’s not the case now, a number of years ago Google was caught harvesting user location when they shouldn’t have (I can’t find a good link right now though). As a result I’m still uncomfortable having Location enabled all the time.

I use two apps which require location for some features. Unfortunately both have changed and now seem to request location in their main screens, even though it used to only be used in a specific area of each app.

Anyway, I can’t change those apps but what I found is that even with Location enabled, Android is still prompting me to enable this “Location Accuracy” feature with an annoying full screen pop-up each time!

Does anyone know the privacy compromises of enabling this feature now please?

I ask because enabling it would stop the nag pop-ups, be handy in the apps I mention and enable me to find my phone if it is ever lost.

The wording of the message sounds less concerning than I remember, but it still ultimately goes back to Google’s Privacy Policy, which allows Google to stalk you and build a model of your behaviour for selling you to advertisers.

2

I don’t have an exact “location accuracy” setting on my Pixel (running Graphene) to compare, but the idea is that in addition to GPS (which is local and very accurate outdoors), the phone will scan WiFi and Bluetooth hardware identifiers and compare those with a database maintained by someone (usually Google and Apple) to improve indoors location. So it is absolutely awful for your privacy, at least on stock Googled devices (GrapheneOS offers a proxy if you care).

My guess is that you are using a Google Android phone (rather than a FOSS Android build), so you have essentially no privacy anyway. The device is effectively owned and operated by Google/Samsung/…

3

Just like Tux above, I keep it to the bare minimum with GOS.
I learned how to read an offline map and a slow/approximate position is more than enough for my daily needs. :+1:t2:

I would definitely opt out or just not enable that feature ever (if possible) because that indeed sounds like a mix of Wifi/Bluetooth mentioned above.
And yes, I’m sorry if you can’t opt out from those meh apps. You’re experiencing the famous approach of

we do not require it, we will just SPAM the hell out of your soul until you just accept it, but promise it’s not mandatory just sub-optimal to fully profit from our wonderful software :slight_smile:

You sure there isn’t a FOSS alternative to those?
If not, I guess you will need to deal with the nag situation. :downcast_face_with_sweat:

4

Thanks, I appreciate what you say, but I guess my personal privacy risks are different to yours.

Anyway, my question is specifically asking about the compromises of having Location enabled and if there are any additional compromises if “Location Accuracy” is on.

Even if you have chosen to use a different OS, you must have friends and family using Android (if they’re not all using iOS). Would you want them leaving location enabled on their phones all the time?

Most people who have asked me for help have location on simply because they needed it on once and accepted a nag message to enable it. Now Google is aggressively pushing users to enable their “Location Accuracy “ feature (with a full screen nag message!) most people seem to have that on all the time too. Previously you could disable it explicitly in Settings and just enable Location (GPS) when required.

*I forgot to mention before that Location permissions within Apps can be controlled better than a few years ago and you can remove the Location permissions from Android components, like the Play store. This is why I was considering allowing “Location Accuracy” to be on when I do need to enable Location.

Thank you

5

Thank you, I’ve used custom OSes back when I had Nexus phones, but your suggestion isn’t addressing my specific question.

While I was asking for myself and I understand if many here won’t face this problem because they are willing to run a custom OS, you all must have friends and family using stock Android. Surely my question is still relevant? As much as people here might suggest it, changing OS to deal with Location privacy is a big hammer approach. Such a change and the practical compromises required to go through with it won’t suit the majority outside these forums.

6

The core of your original message is about Google being able to see your location. If that’s a serious concern for you then why not use GOS with no Google Play services at all? That’s what I’m on and it’s definitely more challenging as you’ll have some limitations that you’ll have to work around for things like push notifications.

Regarding your family/friends comment, Tux already addressed it and I’d agree that worrying about “location accuracy” privacy concerns for stock Android users is irrelevant:

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7

I know that I do not answer your question but at the same time, I am not an executive or highly ranked Tech Leader at Google hence I cannot dismiss or confirm how bad the feature is.
We all know it is bad and doesn’t care about your privacy. How bad is it?
Hard to tell unfortunately. :woman_shrugging:t2:

My answer still stands, either avoid it if possible or just deal with it if you can’t live without.
Not saying it’s easy but sometimes, people need a tool for their daily job/commute/etc and it’s a bad one.
If you can avoid that bad tool, then do. :+1:t2:

I would reply the same to any of my friends

I go a bit extreme on this one and ate the bullet: bought + flashed GOS + teaching them how to use it, I mean it’s just a regular Android phone at the end of the day from a non tech-savvy POV.

But if I’m saying all of that it’s because:

  • there is no detailed technical documentation of the Location accuracy feature
  • even if there was one, you’ll have no proof that it’s true/will be kept up to date if Google ever decides to apply some changes to it
  • or that it will be following what the specification specifies without adding extra tracking on top of it

Best way to avoid some issue is to not use the tool at all in the first place.
Otherwise, do you best or just like here: comply if tired of being nagged by those apps.

8

Thank you all for responding.

I must say I’m disappointed. I joined these forums hoping for a nuanced conversation about privacy, but it feels like you’re not interested to discuss any kind of calculated compromise.

Sometimes, just like with security, it might be practical to carefully consider compromises to privacy and then minimise the risks. I think it is important that people are informed so they understand what such compromise involves.

For example; I hate closed social media platforms, but I don’t tell people to just avoid them, if such social media is the only way they can contact family and friends (who won’t change platform). I try to offer advice on how to minimise the risk of being stalked or phished, by encouraging my friends to be mindful of what they share. I try to help them understand why this is important and suggest they do things like restricting their profile access to trusted friends only.

I’d hoped to be able to have a discussion of the impact of Google’s privacy policy in regards to Location on Android devices. I’d also hoped someone understood the detail of how they map the world using WiFi access points and bluetooth beacons and how that data is used based on information publicly available. Now that it is possible to control location permissions for individual components of the OS, if Google is taken at their word, could “Location Accuracy” be enabled without compromising my own location?

If anyone else is interested in discussing this, please reply!
Otherwise I’ll leave you all alone. Thank you.

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9

I don’t have this nagging pop-up, but my location is disabled.

The only thing I know, is that google is supposed to respect the WIFI _nomap suffix.

So if your Wifi SSID, has a xyzname_nomap, it will not be included in their geolocalization surveillance. But your neighbour WIFI range, will be.

PS: My suggestion is, if you can, disable the location service when not running your 2 mentionned app.

10

Thanks Julie,
Fortunately one of the apps was updated recently and no longer prompts me unless location really is required. I think I’ll just enable GPS location as needed, as you say.

From what I read, also enabling “Location Accuracy” opts you in to Google’s crowdsourced “wireless signal locations” map. Although Google claims that the information is used “without identifying you”. I’ll keep that turned off, despite the increasing pressure they seem to put people under.

Yes good point about using _nomap in WiFi names (SSIDs)! My networks use that suffix.

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