Android location data exceeds phone carriers’ detail, pinpointing users to a single building.

Evidence

Unsurprisingly, Google represents the vanguard of location-based tracking. A 2016 affidavit from law-enforcement officials seeking a search warrant for a California bank robber made plain why Google location data are unparalleled: “Google collects and retains location data from Android-enabled mobile devices. Google collects this data whenever one of their services is activated and/or whenever there is an event on the mobile device such as a phone call, text messages, internet access, or email access.” The officials on the case requested location information from Google because it offers far more detail than even the phone companies can provide. The location systems in Android combine cell-tower data with GPS, Wi-Fi networks, and other information culled from photos, videos, and other sources: “That lets Android pinpoint users to a single building, rather than a city block.” — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 763

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reading purpose’s framing of how behavioral surplus is harvested — location precision is the raw material of prediction products. — connects to: Android tracked location even with location services disabled and no SIM installed. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 763