"To protect your privacy, Google said your devices' locations will be encrypted using the PIN, pattern or password for your Android devices. Locations can be seen only by you and those you share your devices with in Find My Device and won't be visible to Google or used for other purposes"
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The topic of data privacy and encryption has become increasingly discussed in recent years. Google recently launched the "Find My Device" feature, aimed at helping users locate their lost phones, even when they are turned off, or they have no internet, no wifi access,etc. They claim location data is encrypted to protect users' personal information, encrypted with the user PIN or password and sent to google?!?!?! ?!??! However, this raises some interesting questions.
On one hand they "LIED" us in the past, with the idea that your location is "anonymized" and shared with Google to enhance services, such as traffic congestion estimates or the popularity of certain locations. We found out pretty soon they were giving the data to law enforcement, because they were able to "decrypt" and "deanonymize" the data
This brings us to a dilemma, with their new shinny words: how can your location be considered encrypted and anonymous while still being easily accessible to you when you log into your Google account from another device, like another phone or laptop , even one running Linux?
Encryption is a process that transforms information into a format that can only be read with the help of a key. But if you can easily access your location information through your account, it raises the question: what real security and privacy measures are in place behind this system? Is your location truly protected, or is it merely an illusion of security? Because if you can log into your account and see where is not only your phone, but your watch , headset, laptop (they also have blooth) ...then ...why police can't do the same? or IRS? they just might ask for your location .
Moreover, encrypted data can be decrypted, and anonymized data can be "reanonymized" , this are the words that put a lot of people in Jail who tought Google anonymise something for ever. "even us can't know the source" , if they don't de anonymise. This phenomenon prompts us to question how private our data really is, if someone will come close to you , google will know it. you take a new phone to your home, google will know it's you because you will connect it to your old pair of headsets,etc., or the headsets will just be battery-dead around your home.
Tax Companies will soon ask Google where you spent more of your time, so they will be able to tax you.
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The topic of data privacy and encryption has become increasingly discussed in recent years. Google recently launched the "Find My Device" feature, aimed at helping users locate their lost phones, even when they are turned off, or they have no internet, no wifi access,etc. They claim location data is encrypted to protect users' personal information, encrypted with the user PIN or password and sent to google?!?!?! ?!??! However, this raises some interesting questions.
On one hand they "LIED" us in the past, with the idea that your location is "anonymized" and shared with Google to enhance services, such as traffic congestion estimates or the popularity of certain locations. We found out pretty soon they were giving the data to law enforcement, because they were able to "decrypt" and "deanonymize" the data
This brings us to a dilemma, with their new shinny words: how can your location be considered encrypted and anonymous while still being easily accessible to you when you log into your Google account from another device, like another phone or laptop , even one running Linux?
Encryption is a process that transforms information into a format that can only be read with the help of a key. But if you can easily access your location information through your account, it raises the question: what real security and privacy measures are in place behind this system? Is your location truly protected, or is it merely an illusion of security? Because if you can log into your account and see where is not only your phone, but your watch , headset, laptop (they also have blooth) ...then ...why police can't do the same? or IRS? they just might ask for your location .
Moreover, encrypted data can be decrypted, and anonymized data can be "reanonymized" , this are the words that put a lot of people in Jail who tought Google anonymise something for ever. "even us can't know the source" , if they don't de anonymise. This phenomenon prompts us to question how private our data really is, if someone will come close to you , google will know it. you take a new phone to your home, google will know it's you because you will connect it to your old pair of headsets,etc., or the headsets will just be battery-dead around your home.
Tax Companies will soon ask Google where you spent more of your time, so they will be able to tax you.
