You Can Stop Google From Tracking Your Smartphone, But You'll Hate How
1 min read
Summary
A new report suggests that Google begins tracking users’ activity on an Android device the instant they log in, long before they open any apps.
This is achieved through pre-installed apps like Google Play Services and the Play Store, as well as cookies such as the DSID cookie, which Google drops onto the device as soon as the user creates a Google account.
This tracks activity and browsing habits, which helps Google build up user profiles to enable targeted advertising, but there is no way to opt out of this data collection.
The only certain way to avoid this type of tracking is to carry out a factory reset on the device and not log into a Google account, but this also prevents the user from accessing many Google services and the Play Store.
Alternatively, users can mitigate the damage by opting out of personalised advertising options in the phone’s settings, and choosing open-source or privacy-focused apps like DuckDuckGo over Google alternatives.
