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privacy questions

M

machinedrum

Lurker
Hello,

I do not own an Android phone yet, but I am thinking about getting one. One thing that concerns me a bit is that I've got the feeling that lots of information might be collected by Google, more than when using a normal PC with a non-Google browser.

So these are my questions:
- If I use apps like e.g. a Facebook app or something like that, is Google able to connect my Facebook login information (i.e. my name) to the Google account that I am using? Of course I could just use a fake Google account, but nevertheless, if I use 10 different apps and maybe visit 10 different forums/websites where I have to login, is Google able to know that all these user accounts belong to the same person?
- Is there any way to minimize the information Google (and others) receive through my phone usage? Like are there some third party Android distributions (since I heard it's open source), which can be safely used?

It might sound a bit paranoid, but my current dumbphone doesn't do all that stuff, and I'd be happy if that would not change too much when I buy my next phone.
 
Use a non-Google browser on Android if it helps peace of mind. Firefox is available as are a number of others that most people feel are even better. Practice safe browsing. :)
 
Okay thanks for the hint, so would this already be enough to kill most privacy concerns, or are there any more suggestions? What about third-party android versions like cyanomod (or however it's called)?
 
Your biggest privacy concerns won't come from Android versions but from apps.

Each app requires you to accept various permissions before you install, and you want to be careful. A wallpaper app does not need permission to access your contacts, for example (actual example of a bad app, btw). To know what the permissions really mean, I recommend -

http://market.android.com/details?id=com.alostpacket.pocketpermissions

Also if you root, as you would to install CyanogenMod or other custom roms, install the Android firewall, DroidWall.

Google lets you opt in or out of sharing your location and data with their apps.

PS - CyanogenMod has a reputation for quality and no privacy issues.
 
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