Amazon tracking me? - General Questions and Answers

Hi all.
I'm an Amazon customer since their early days, 14-15 years for now, and usually get their emails, with book recommendations. Today I got music recommendations, first time ever and very specific. I only had bought one Eminem album from them, few months ago, no other music purchase. Last week I installed their market app on my Xoom, plus 2 free apps. And the last music I played on Xoom, was the group Yello, cd is called "Eccentrix Remixes", 10 days ago. This album is still shown on music widget. If you don't know Yello, it's very, very different from Eminem )))
That's the background. Today I get an email from Amazon, recommending me Yello, Eccentrix Remixes and other albums of the group. This cannot be a coincidence. No music recommendations until now, installed Amazon app, got this one. Does it mean Amazon is tracking my device and my music? I understand they have to do something to cover their expenses for free apps. I don't mind their recommendations when I go to web page and buy something from there. But tracking my music on my own device is a little bit to much for me. To be sure, I'm playing different artist on the Xoom now, will give them a chance to prove me wrong. If I get another "perfect" recommendation, I'm uninstalling their app and free ones from them.
What else they can track? Email, messages, gps?

Yes they do track trends, on PC too, via cookies.
There have been several dodgy attempts at securing details from fraudsters in the past. Just use common sense.
http://www.wizcrafts.net/blogs/2010/07/beware_of_fake_amazoncom_purchase_order_scams.html

I understand PC and cookies. But on mobile devices, without me buying music from them, they track what music I listen to?

ddavtian said:
I understand PC and cookies. But on mobile devices, without me buying music from them, they track what music I listen to?
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Click to collapse
Agreed, sounds like a breach of privacy if ever I saw one. May investigate further on this one, seeing as permissions on Droid etc are in the limelight so much lately. Cheers

And you didn't install their Cloud Player or upload any of your music to their Cloud Drive service? That would be pretty sneaky if they are tracking what music you play with another developer's application. And using a Market app to do it. I'd be curious what the EULA for the Amazon Market actually says about privacy.

I have not installed their music player, have not signed up for cloud services, have not done any Amazon activities on my phone/tablet except installing market app and 2 free apps a week ago.
Yesterday I played The Doors on the xoom, now it's on the widget, waiting for next email from Amazon to confirm my suspicion.

I too have installed this app, and downloaded a few free apps. I have not received any recommendations. (but I may have email recommendations turned off? Is that a setting in amazon?) Anyway, after checking it's permissions it can:
STORAGE
--Modify or delete SD card contents
NETWORK COMMUNICATION
--Full internet access
--View network state
PHONE CALLS
--Read phone state
SYSTEM TOOLS
--Automatically start at boot
So, unless the SD card Storage permission allows the app to see what you access in your SD card, I do not see a permission that looks sketchy. I'm sure a Dev can open the app and see exactly what it is capable of if need be.
Perhaps your music player or Widget are the culprits?

I would consider Google a whole lot worse, but there you go.
I would guess that something is linking you to your account, whether it be a previous sign in, cookies, an IP address, or maybe even a 3rd party partnership, I don't know.

Related

What's up, Shazam?

So the makers of Shazam decided to make a so called premium app which comes for $5.99. It features unlimited tagging, lyrics, biography, discography, directly purchasing through the marketplace, watching YouTube videos related to the tagged songs and that's pretty much about it.
First I was like "wtf? What tagging limit?". Then I saw and installed the update that came for free Shazam today. And guess what. Tagging is now limited to 5 times a month. Not to mention that the free version of course doesn't offer any of the goodies the premium version comes shipped with. Premium doesn't even have a trial to check out if these additional features are really worth the price. And oh.. If you update your free copy of Shazam, you'll quickly notice that it disappeared from the apps list, just to be found in the games hub now. What the heck? Since when do music related apps belong there?
Shazam Encore, which the premium app is correctly named, doesn't even integrate in the Zune hub, which in my opinion would make sense.
What do you guys think about what Shazam is pulling off there? Is this restricted to WP7 only? Or does it affect iOS and Android apps as well?
No this is not limited to wp7, this happened on iOS and then on android as well. This seems to be how they operate and since I do not have my phone right now and will have to reload all my apps I am sure I will get stuck with the downgraded free app.
If that's the way they go now, I'm pretty sure they check the version of the app we use and if it's not the limited free version, they'll just refuse the service.
Sent from my HD7 T9292 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
I read a shazaam feature is coming with Mango. It will be built into Zune, Shazaam wont be needed anymore.
vetvito said:
I read a shazaam feature is coming with Mango. It will be built into Zune, Shazaam wont be needed anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Bing Audio. The question is just, if it's as good as Shazam is. Seeing that bing maps doesn't even support most of the countries in Europe. Works pretty well for larger cities in Germany, but there's still lots of unknown places. If Bing Audio ends up the same, I'm afraid it won't be any thread to services like Shazam. But we'll see.
If Bing Audio is as ****ty as Bing Map is in my country I suppose it will be mediocre and we will still need Shazam for a long time.
Anyway, thanks for the tip, I will not update Shazam.
arturobandini said:
If Bing Audio is as ****ty as Bing Map is in my country I suppose it will be mediocre and we will still need Shazam for a long time.
Anyway, thanks for the tip, I will not update Shazam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word on different forums is that if you have installed the free Shazam app before May 11th, you will have no tagging limit. That was supposed to be some sort of launch bonus. I haven't tried it yet after I installed the update. But I'll do so tomorrow and report back.
dkp1977 said:
Word on different forums is that if you have installed the free Shazam app before May 11th, you will have no tagging limit. That was supposed to be some sort of launch bonus. I haven't tried it yet after I installed the update. But I'll do so tomorrow and report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, and indeed I have no tagging limit.
So you mean, if ever I update Shazam - and only if I update - then the limit will appear?
No, I think it has to do with your original "purchase" (install) date, not the date of the version currently installed. If you locked in prior to the change, you should always have free tagging. You just won't have the rest of the new features of Encore (which do sound pretty nice - but still not worth $6 to me).
I downloaded the update this morning, and I don't see any limits appearing in the app so far. My original install date was January 5th.
[Edit] Correction -
Apparently if you originally downloaded prior to the change, you also get some of the Encore features. From the Marketplace description of the free version:
Start your music journey and enjoy Shazam to:
• Identify what song is playing and buy the track direct on Zune Marketplace
• Read album reviews, artist biographies and discographies
• Watch YouTube videos for tagged artists from within the App
• View lyrics and sing along to tagged tracks
• Sort tags by date, artist and track
• Store your tagged tracks and easily view your tag history
This App gives you 5 Tags per month*. For unlimited tagging and exclusive features try our premium App – Encore.
*If you’ve been using Shazam on your current Windows Phone 7 phone since before May 11, 2011, you’re still entitled to unlimited tagging.
Thanks RoboDad for this very detailed answer.
One more question, since you updated, is Shazam located in the Game Hub?
Thanks
Yeah, something is wrong somewhere. It shows up in both the app list AND games hub for me. But, I had previously pinned it to Start, and that link no longer works. And to aggravate things even more, I can't pin the new version to Start at all. I assume they'll fix it soon.
RoboDad said:
Yeah, something is wrong somewhere. It shows up in both the app list AND games hub for me. But, I had previously pinned it to Start, and that link no longer works. And to aggravate things even more, I can't pin the new version to Start at all. I assume they'll fix it soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks. One more good reason not to update.
RoboDad said:
Yeah, something is wrong somewhere. It shows up in both the app list AND games hub for me. But, I had previously pinned it to Start, and that link no longer works. And to aggravate things even more, I can't pin the new version to Start at all. I assume they'll fix it soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the update it movied out of the app list and onto the Games Hub... had to repin it (from inside Games Hub).
Am I the only one to think that Shazam's attitude is not very fair?
Basically, Shazam is proposing an update that will actually limit your app and make it worse (e.g. tag limitation, app installed in the game hub, etc.)
Their goal being to make you purchase their $5.99 version.
It's their program, they can do this if they choose. ATT used to charge a monthly fee for this type of service. Do they still do that? It's still functional as a trial app though.
The game Triangula did the same thing. It was a free game with no ads.
The most recent update, added ads to the free version and required you pay to get the updates and go ads free.
munkeyphyst said:
It's their program, they can do this if they choose. ATT used to charge a monthly fee for this type of service. Do they still do that? It's still functional as a trial app though.
The game Triangula did the same thing. It was a free game with no ads.
The most recent update, added ads to the free version and required you pay to get the updates and go ads free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you miss some major points here. Triangula is fully playable, even with adds. Shazam on the other hand is barely usable upon its limitation to just 5 tags a month. Triangula full comes for what? Like 1.99? Shazam goes for 4 bucks more. So it's extremely cut in its functionality while costing 3 times as much as Triangula.
Of course it's their product and they can do whatever they want to. But I believe they're gonna lose a whole lot of customers this way.
Avandor said:
Since the update it movied out of the app list and onto the Games Hub... had to repin it (from inside Games Hub).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
D'oh! You're right, of course. I was trying to pin from the [defunct] shortcut in the app list. Thanks!
munkeyphyst said:
The game Triangula did the same thing. It was a free game with no ads.
The most recent update, added ads to the free version and required you pay to get the updates and go ads free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to pick nits (OK, so I like to pick nits, so sue me ), but that isn't quite the way things went down with Triangula (or with Shazam, for that matter).
If you had already downloaded the free version of the game before the paid version came out, you got a free upgrade to the paid, ad-free, deluxe version. Well, at least I did .
And it's the same with Shazam. Users who secured their "purchase" of the free version prior to the release of the premium version still get unlimited tagging. So no one is losing anything. If someone didn't take the time to download the app prior to the change, then they never had the promise of free, unlimited tagging.
And, as has already been mentioned, this is no different from the way the app is already marketed on Android and iOS, so it isn't exactly news.
mine dissapeared from my app list and is NOT found in the games hub but when I find shazam on the marketplace on my phone, it just gives the option to share (as if it was already installed) this happened after the update. It is as if it is installed in a repository that is unable to be reached by windows phone (or the shortcut was broken by the update). Anyone else experience this?
I cant even find it in the marketplace anymore 0.o on my pc and on my phone its not even their. Is it not their for anyone else?

Log into your Kindle Fire, Kindle App, and MP3 App as different users

Ok, I understand this probably doesn't pertain to many other Fire users, but maybe it can help a few of you in the same situation as me.
I have my own Amazon account, but my wife and I share kindle and mp3 since buying books and music twice is just dumb. On our phones this is fine because each app allows you to log in as anyone you want. The Kindle Fire combines log ins for all Amazon services, and even puts your name up in the corner. This sucks because I would rather use Joe's Kindle, not Heidi's, and I shop Amazon a lot, but we use my Wife's accounts for books and music. So I was having to live without my music while having my wife lend me books over and over, which then stopped them from being available on my phone... I know, first world problems. Anyway, after rooting (not necessary for this, though, you can just side load) I noticed there was an update in the Android Market for the Kindle app, which I instinctively downloaded. It allowed me to install it over the system app and log in as my wife, without affecting the rest of the accounts on my Fire. Only down side is I no longer have access to the books tab (its empty), and have to use an alternate launcher to use the kindle app now since it doesn't show up in the native app list. Oh well.
After that worked, I decided to try it with the mp3 app, which I pulled from my phone and side loaded, since the one on my Fire didn't show as needing an update in the market. This time, the native tab didn't go dead at least.
Sent from my Digital Brick
Edit: After a reboot the music tab works again, updated post.
I have been working on this for a while and just figured out that if you rename the system app com.amazon.dcp.apk to com.amazon.dcp.apk.bak it will essentially seperate the amazon apps from the device allowing different logins for the apps.
Edit: Here's a link for anyone not familiar with renaming apps http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1385301
Sounds good, my mp3 player app reverted back to linked after a second reboot. Just one question, does this kill the tabs in the native launcher? No big deal if it does since I've switched to ADW, just curious. Probably going to reroot my Fire tomorrow and use your suggestion, and disable the Amazon Appstore redirect, too.
Sent from my Digital Brick
Droidificator said:
Sounds good, my mp3 player app reverted back to linked after a second reboot. Just one question, doors this kill the tabs in the native launcher? No big deal if our does since I've switched to ADW, just curious. Probably going to reroot my Fire tomorrow and use your suggestion, and disable the Amazon Appstore redirect, too.
Sent from my Digital Brick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just checked and all the tabs seem to be working fine.
Ok, that works, but it stops you from registering your Kindle. Don't know exactly what that means, but it's a little concerning since I dropped $45 on the warranty. Does yours just say "My Kindle" in the corner? I tried registering it in settings and it won't go through. Oh well. Think I'm just going to copy all the music over to my account.
Sent from my Digital Brick
Droidificator said:
Ok, that works, but it stops you from registering your Kindle. Don'tknow exactly what that means, but it's a little concerning since I dropped $45 on the warranty. Does yours just say "My Kindle" in the corner? I tried registering it inn strings and it won't go through. Oh well. Think I'm just going to copy all the music over to my account, too.
Sent from my Digital Brick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I bought mine used and have been having trouble trying to get it registered so mine has always just been "My kindle", that was my driving force behind trying to figure this out. Sorry I was unaware of that issue.

[Q] What apps/services can I disable to save memory?

Hi,
Shield is not the smartphone, so many services/apps can be disable in order to rise the performance. I already disabled:
Browser (I use Chrome)
Calendar
Calendar Storage
Currents
Drive
Earth
Email
Exchange Services
Google Contact Sync
Google Play Books
Google Play Magazines
Google Play Movies
Google Play Music
Google Search
Google+
Hangouts
Hulu Plus
Youtube
Now my free memory is from 800 to 1300MB. What else can I disable?
There is any app that will close the apps when you run games? (right now I use Advances Task Killer, there is something better?).
Thanks
ps. one more question, do you typically shut down your console or just put it in sleep mode? Can I put sleeping console to it's case? Or it'll overheating?
Some good questions! I always power my device down fully. I'm not sure that it will make any heat when sleeping though.
I also would like like to know about "unnecessary" processes...
No idea why Nvidia using the stock android with all it's app for the phones. Shield isn't a phone.
We need some light version of Android with more free memory.
I disabled all the apps/services described above without any problems.
I can say I understand where Nvidia is coming from on this one. I use my Google+ account to sign into all the games, so I need that service. I also use the device to watch movies while on the road (via HDMI cable), so the Hulu+ useful to me. It appears to me that Nvidia pulled all the hardcore phone items like the "phone" service, but left in the things different people might use like calendaring and mail depending on how they choose to use the device. I personally have an iPad for calendaring and mail, so I disabled those in this device, but I can see how someone else might use them. My thought would be to create a sticky documenting what each service or item is used for and if it's safe to disable, then folks can choose for themselves. Just my 2 cents.
Forget about trying to free memory in android. It doesn't give any advantage. Is not like windows.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Bad news for Google Play Music All Access users.

It appears Google has once again started limiting the number of devices All Access users can deauthorize on an annual basis. This is definitely a problem for us Flashaholics. I searched to see if there was an announcement. I see nothing listed, but I was personally denied removing any devices. Google states I've deauthorized too many devices. I'd hate to go searching for a new music service, but it looks like I have no choice. Your thoughts?
have you
tried using titanium backup pro to revert android ID?
I thought this had been announced a while ago and the limit was 4 times a year or something like that? I remember reading about this before though. Although my understand was that was the limit of deactivating ALL devices and not the individual devices which I thought that was still unlimited. Might have to look around again for that so I can make sure
Edit: I had misread. Here's an article I found from android central http://m.androidcentral.com/google-play-music-now-limits-you-4-mobile-device-deauthorizations-year
I remember the announcement back in August. Shortly after, it was reported Google decided not to implement this policy. Now it appears they decided to enforce their earlier decision.
Sent from my HTC One M8
I used to use Google Play Music just cause I was able to upload my own mp3's, had the same problem of not being able to delete devices...
That's why Spotify is my poison of choice and haven't looked back ever since.. they have about every song I like and more.
kbrn said:
I used to use Google Play Music just cause I was able to upload my own mp3's, had the same problem of not being able to delete devices...
That's why Spotify is my poison of choice and haven't looked back ever since.. they have about every song I like and more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does Spotify allow all my music that I already have downloaded?
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
mjs2011 said:
Does Spotify allow all my music that I already have downloaded?
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have local music stored on my phone.. the downloaded music I have is a few playlists off of spotify for when I'm on a plane and since you can't have your cellphone radios on and even if you could there's no signal..
So I don't know, but I doubt it works as a music player for your local music files..
there's really no need to (unless you have limited data or listening to music on a plane)
kbrn said:
I used to use Google Play Music just cause I was able to upload my own mp3's, had the same problem of not being able to delete devices...
That's why Spotify is my poison of choice and haven't looked back ever since.. they have about every song I like and more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I almost jumped to Spotify, until I read that only one mobile device can be connected at the same time. If one device is connected, and another starts using Spotify, the first device will pause. I can see my 2 teenage daughters getting frustrated trying to figure out why the service keeps pausing. Lol.
Google allows all trusted devices to play at the same time. I'm set for now. Google reset the account for me. This gives me time to research some options.
i had a very screwy incident when i tried to deactivate two devices - i ended up getting two notices that i cancelled my service. i did get to reactivate at the 7.99 price though and got it confirmed that deactivation are not per calendar year, but each deactivation is freed up after 12 months.
i've got my m8 listed twice - once for the GPE rom and the other for the sense ROM. anyone know if there are any problems restoring an ID across different OS versions?
Spotify will sync across all devices on the same account. So it's not useful for a family on one account. It's great for an individual person though. I've had music playing on my PC, opened the app on my phone and changed the song from a different room entirely. Same thing works with my tablet. I was streaming a playlist during a BBQ had a friend complain he didn't like the song but didn't want to get out of the chair to change it. I grabbed my phone and handled it.... like a boss.
But yeah, family plan is not possible with Spotify.
@mjs2011 You can use your local music as well. The only stipulation to that is that you have to have a paid account. You can all your own music plus Spotify music to a playlist on the PC, open the app on your phone and set it to be available offline and Spotify will download all the music from them and your own PC to your phone.
Could just be me, but as long as I removed the devices from inside the mobile app it lets me remove as many as I want. If I try through chrome on my desktop or laptop it tells me I have run out of deactivations. Really strange, but I'll take it.
Slacker101 said:
Could just be me, but as long as I removed the devices from inside the mobile app it lets me remove as many as I want. If I try through chrome on my desktop or laptop it tells me I have run out of deactivations. Really strange, but I'll take it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one of my deactivations was via the web for a phantom tablet (listed twice for rom flashing), the other was via the device that i decided i won't use play music for any more. i got two notifications of cancellation of service and verified on phone that i only had 1 cancellation left until oct this year. maybe there was just a bug on that day.
my m8 is listed twice and my gn10.1 twice.
I am cannot listen to my music anymore... Turns out I have already reached the limit for 4 devices every year. Feels like Google is screwing me. Does anybody have any suggestions? I have already tried this tip Cnet (unable to post link since I am kind of new too XDA), but in my country there are only tech support via email (the other one was with phone call) which I have yet to recieve a response). Any suggestions?
it's sad that google passed the blame on to the music providers for having to implement this, but it's their fault for implementing it so ****ty. even amazon's deactivation is better than this crap.
Metarino said:
I am cannot listen to my music anymore... Turns out I have already reached the limit for 4 devices every year. Feels like Google is screwing me. Does anybody have any suggestions? I have already tried this tip Cnet (unable to post link since I am kind of new too XDA), but in my country there are only tech support via email (the other one was with phone call) which I have yet to recieve a response). Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out this thread. I started using this app recently. This app will backup & restore your device ID. I've flashed many roms since I came across this app. It works as advertised, and doesn't add to my device count in GPMAA.
Here's what I do. Make sure you backup your current rom first. It's just good practice.
1. Download and install app.
2. Run app and backup your device ID.
3. Copy the folder to your SD card. This is so you'll have a copy should you format your internal storage.
4. After flashing your rom and downloading all your apps. Copy the folder to your internal storage. Do not open GPMAA.
5. Run app and restore your previous ID.
6. Profit.
Like I said, I flashed several rom and haven't had any devices added to my list. Worst case you can call Google and nicely ask them to reset your device list.
Lodingi said:
Check out this thread. I started using this app recently. This app will backup & restore your device ID. I've flashed many roms since I came across this app. It works as advertised, and doesn't add to my device count in GPMAA.
Here's what I do. Make sure you backup your current rom first. It's just good practice.
1. Download and install app.
2. Run app and backup your device ID.
3. Copy the folder to your SD card. This is so you'll have a copy should you format your internal storage.
4. After flashing your rom and downloading all your apps. Copy the folder to your internal storage. Do not open GPMAA.
5. Run app and restore your previous ID.
6. Profit.
Like I said, I flashed several rom and haven't had any devices added to my list. Worst case you can call Google and nicely ask them to reset your device list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for your answer! I was finally able to get in contact with Google and they reset my device list
But I will test out your tip next time I am flashing and testing out a new ROM! Don't want to experience this again...
Sent from my LG-D855 using XDA Free mobile app
I do this routinely with tibu as part of my flashing process and have never had a problem.
IIRC it uses the same ID for your phone no matter what rom you are on

Is Google always listening?

Hi all,
I had the suspicion for some time now that my Android phone is somehow collecting private information without my knowledge and using it to bombard me with ads but I wasn't sure how. I know that google is reading my emails, my calendars and has access to my data stored on Google Drive but today something totally weird happened. I was watching a video clip on YouTube when suddenly the clip paused and an ad show up about a salve I was discussing about the night before with my girlfriend. This cannot be a coincidence! The phone was during the conversation on Standby mode.
I've found some articles and even some videos on YouTube regarding this topic so I'm not paranoid.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Meanwhile I have deactivated microphone permission for all google apps but I doubt this is enough. What else can I do to stop it if it is really true?
I have stock ROM from Honor installed, would it be helpful to install a custom ROM?
droidis said:
Hi all,
I had the suspicion for some time now that my Android phone is somehow collecting private information without my knowledge and using it to bombard me with ads but I wasn't sure how. I know that google is reading my emails, my calendars and has access to my data stored on Google Drive but today something totally weird happened. I was watching a video clip on YouTube when suddenly the clip paused and an ad show up about a salve I was discussing about the night before with my girlfriend. This cannot be a coincidence! The phone was during the conversation on Standby mode.
I've found some articles and even some videos on YouTube regarding this topic so I'm not paranoid.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Meanwhile I have deactivated microphone permission for all google apps but I doubt this is enough. What else can I do to stop it if it is really true?
I have stock ROM from Honor installed, would it be helpful to install a custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google, Amazon, etc do pay a lot of attention to what you do online, which can seem a little intrusive. But we're not quite at the stage yet of people being listened to for the purposes of advertising.
It would be very labour-intensive, kill your battery and wreck your data. Not to mention the massive backlash from the public if and when it was discovered.
It's not impossible that some malware could be made which does listen to you, but it's not going to be an official Google app.
But, if you're still worried, deactivating microphone permission will stop the apps from being able to hear anything. There's no way to sidestep this to my knowledge. If an app doesn't have permission to use the mic, it can't use it.
Ticklefish said:
Google, Amazon, etc do pay a lot of attention to what you do online, which can seem a little intrusive. But we're not quite at the stage yet of people being listened to for the purposes of advertising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree. If you know someone who has a Google Home or Amazon Alexa product, ask them if they've had a similar experience. I know people who have those products, and they had a similar experience as OP.
Eavesdropping via Google Home/Amazon Alexa is a little different than eavesdropping on private phone conversations, because you must give Google Home/Amazon Alexa explicit permission to listen in order for it to work. However, I would not be surprised if Google monitors phone calls/texts in some manner to tailor advertisements.
answers
Google, Amazon, etc do pay a lot of attention to what you do online, which can seem a little intrusive. But we're not quite at the stage yet of people being listened to for the purposes of advertising.
http://qz.com/1145669/googles-true-...nd-nsa-research-grants-for-mass-surveillance/
http://www.theverge.com/2018/8/13/17684660/google-turn-off-location-history-data
https://video.foxnews.com/v/5731183327001/
Ads are being fed to users based on their voice content, online searches, etc. It is easy for machines to convert voice to text nowadays. That text is analysed for any text or phrase. Been going on for years with our spied-on phone calls and emails. Just see some YouTube videos for realtime subtitles in various languages for proof that this is done routinely.
Cameras, wifi, cellular and GPS are activated without our knowledge or permission routinely by OS, games and apps. Info is sent to Google and third parties when online. If your device is filled with Google's own battery-sucking apps, forget any semblance of privacy, I reckon. If your front camera is not covered...you are probably a sitting duck. You can buy camera covers on ebay if you want to be selective about when it's OK, these have a slider, otherwise consider taping it over. Same with your laptop.
If you are using Google Services or using Google Apps then I think you are a sitting duck ready to take some bullets. Much like Apple and Microsoft users are. To be fair, that is probably 99.99% of device owners.
Third-party apps and games do it too. So there's that. Your data is siphoned-off and sent over the interwebs by them.
Is your device rooted? If not, I'd recommend using a device that has TWRP for it, so you can more cleanly root it without resorting to more questionable root software with its own spyware. I'd recommend making a TWRP back-up before heavily uninstalling apps.
I'd recommend downloading open-source apps on f-droid.org. With a root uninstaller you can uninstall many things they normally don't let you: like all the Google spyware apps and components. Also things that you don't see listed under your Apps. Disabling Google apps doesn't stop them running. Uninstalling them then removing leftover files is a far better approach. For that you'll want a root uninstaller and a root file manager. Some uninstallers are better than others.
Trusting Google's own Permissions thing was always a bit like entrusting your kid to the local paedophile, to me. Google have CIA origins (and backing) and NSA funds keeping them primed. Do you know what just these 2 do worldwide? Unspeakable horrors. Consult William Blum or Susan Lindauer for starters.
I'd consider an open-source keyboard from f-droid.org. Like AnySoftKeyboard. I'd.consider replacing all default stock apps, including the Launcher.
The following has been safely removed by me after rooting my devices (various Mediatek-based Lenovo tablets):
Android Live Wallpapers, Android Work Assistant, Basic Daydreams, Black Hole, BSPTelephonyDevTool, Bubbles, Calculator, Calendar, Calendar Storage, Certificate Installer, Chrome, Clock, com.android.backupconfirm, com.android.browser.provider, com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks, com.android.sharedstoragebackup, com.android.wallpaper.holospiral, com.huaquin.factoryservice, com.mediatek, com.mediatek.voiceexztension,ConfigUpdater, Contacts, Contacts Storage, Device Service, dongle,Drive, DRM Protected Content Storage, Email, Exchange Services, FactoryKit Test, FM Radio, FTPrecheck, Fused Location, FwkPlugin, FWUpgrade, Gallery, Gamestore, Gmail, Google Account Manager, Google Backup Transport, Google App, Google Calendar Sync, Google Keyboard, Google One Time Init, Google Partner Setup, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music, Google Play services, Google Play Store, Google Services Framework, Guvera Music, Hangouts, Launcher3, Lenovo ID, Maps, Market Feedback Agent, McAfee Security, MmsService
Mobile Data, Mobile Network Configuration, MTKFloatMenu, MTK Logger, MTK NLPService, Music Visualisation Wallpapers, MusicFX, PacProcessor, Permission Control, Phone, Photos, RawDataTEst, RunInRebootSystem, Schedule power on & off, Search Applications Provider, Setup Wizard, SHAREit, Skype, SmartcardService, Sound Recorder, SYNCit HD, System Update, Tap the Frog HD, Tedongle Settings, Twitter, UC Browser HD, UpgradeSys, Vcalendar, VoiceCommand, Volidation Tools, YGPS, YouTube
Some of thistuff might be needed for phones but I use a tablet. All the telephony stuff is uninstalled.
If i need an app from Google's Spyware Play Store I use sites like https://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/ to download the APK directly without signing in to Google's Spyware Store infrastructure (since no Google apps are installed on my device). Otherwise f-droid.org caters to 95+% of my needs.
AdAway is one of the first things I install, along with a decent firewall like AfWall+
Xprivacy deserves some of your attention as do these apps from Tibor Kaputa https://simplemobiletools.github.io/

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