Why Phone Privacy is a Must Nowadays

 

Privacy phone

Privacy has always been important, even before smartphones. The recent revelations show that we shouldn't take our privacy for granted anymore - especially now that everyone is connected 24/7.

With the increasing popularity of smartphones and mobile apps, it seems important to have some control over our data. To help you put your mind at ease, there are some phones with operating systems that make you as private as you can possibly be in this day and age. 

De-Googled phones are the future for people that don't want to share all their data online! 

There are two main reasons why phone privacy matters now more than ever. First, smart devices collect large amounts of sensitive data, and sharing them across platforms raises security concerns. Second, even though we have options to delete or disable cookies, location tracking, or other services, most of us don't read those terms and conditions carefully enough.

Continue reading the rest of the article to learn more about why you should be more concerned with Phone Privacy nowadays. 

Why Phone Privacy is Important

Importance of a privacy phone

Photo by Mael BALLAND on Unsplash

Smartphones are everywhere these days. They're used by millions of people every single day. Smartphone users generate an enormous amount of personal information. This includes everything from GPS coordinates, call logs, text messages, photos, videos, emails, browsing history, social media posts, and much more.

The problem is that companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and others know how to access this data. And they use it to target ads, track user behavior, and sell products.

The fact that smartphone owners often don't realize what's happening behind the scenes makes it easy for these companies to gather detailed profiles of individual users. These profiles include:

  • Geolocation Data
  • Social Network Activity
  • Web Searches
  • Emails Sent and Received
  • Photos Taken
  • Videos Watched
  • Apps Installed
  • Etc.

In addition, many companies also keep records of where you've been using your phone. For example, if you visit a website that uses geofencing technology, your device will send back its current location so that the site knows exactly where you are.

This means that when you go out, you may not only receive targeted ads but you could also get tracked by law enforcement agencies. If you're worried about being spied on, you might want to consider switching to one of the following phones.

De-Googled Phones

Degoogled phones

De-Googled Phones Privacy by Choice

If you're looking for a phone that doesn't store any of your data, then you need to check out the De-Googled Phones. A de-googled phone is a mobile device that was originally designed to work on Android OS but has been modified to run other operating systems like Lineage OS or GrapheneOS.

These operating systems are not only open-source but also completely transparent - meaning anyone can see what code is used within them, allowing the entire community to check if something is legitimate before installing it.

The benefit of running these operating systems rather than the default ones from Google, Samsung, or even Xiaomi is that your data is safe. We believe that your phone should be private, and these custom operating systems exist to get as close to that as possible. 

There are several different models available, including:

If you're a tablet person or simply want to have your tablet also De-Googled, then we got you covered. We currently have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite running the Lineage Operating System. This is the first De-Googled Tablet that you're going to find on the market. 

These phones come preloaded with an operating system that blocks third-party applications from accessing your personal information and much more. In addition, they don't allow companies to track your movements through their built-in sensors.

What Data can Google Get from Your Phone?

Google collects all kinds of data from your phone. Here are some examples:

Location History

Your location history includes the places you visited and when you were there. It also shows the duration of each trip and the distance between locations. On top of that, if they really want, they can also track your live location if your GPS is turned on. This is all done without anyone’s consent.

How can you still accept that it happens by knowing all of this? Is this the price of using these services and devices?

Device Information

Your device information includes things such as the model number, serial number, and IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. This is terrifying when it combines with knowing the serial numbers of each electronic device on your home network.

They can create large webs of interactivity tracking your activity from device to device. Even though they'll never admit to doing such a thing, they have all the necessary tools to do it. 

Browser History

Every time you visit a website, Google records the URL of the page you visited. They use this information to target advertisements at you based on where you've been browsing. On top of that, they use this information also to influence you.

There was a debate a while ago where people were saying that Ads are used to influence your decisions. Think about it. This is one of the most outrageous things anyone can do, let alone a company. The worst part about this is that it's not only one company doing it; now, there are a few. [1]

Camera Usage

When you take photos or videos using your camera, Google saves the images in its own cloud storage service called Photos. You can access this content directly from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. That's if you left it on the default setting, but you can easily change it so that it doesn't store your photos on the cloud. 

You can delete individual photos or albums by selecting them from the list. However, Google will keep any metadata associated with the image, including the date and time it was taken, who took it, and other details.

This means that Google has full control over your pictures and videos. They can save copies of them for later reference or share them with others if they really want. Once again, I'm not saying this is the standard, and they do it for everyone, but it's in their hands to do such a thing.

Voice Search

If you search for something using voice commands, Google stores the audio recording of what you said. This way, they can analyze your speech patterns and improve their services. That's a good thing since it helps improve the technology behind it; however, if you have that option enabled, Google will always be listening. 

If you don't believe us, this was a huge thing a while back, and many creators and people tried it themselves. The test was simple; you just needed to talk in English about a specific topic, such as cats, for example, and have your phone nearby. Then when you go to Google Search and click on the search bar, the first thing that will get suggested to you is a cat item or article relating to them. [2]

The Bottom Line

As you can see, Google collects a lot of data from you, and even more than that, they're able to collect it without your knowledge. It's up to you whether you want to give it away or not. If you choose to give it away, then you should know that you're giving it away to someone else for their profit.

However, if you've decided that enough is enough, then I highly suggest you get back the much-needed privacy in your life. To do that, De-Googled phones help; they don't track your Geo-Location Data, they don't work with Google, and they don't collect any sort of information on your phone, offering you the best privacy you can get in this day and age.   

 References: 1 - https://bizfluent.com/about-7414742-advertising-influence-people-.html

 2 - https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/stop-google-android-listening/

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 22, 2022 — Gabriele Limonta
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