Google knows your location, even if the mobile doesn't have a SIM

You must know that the smartphone knows where you are, but if you turn off the phone's location services, do not use any such app, not even insert a SIM? No matter how careful you are, if your smartphone is running the Android operating system, it is collecting information about your location and will send this information to Google as soon as you connect to the internet.

This has been revealed by a website called 'Quartz' which states that since early 2017, Android phones have been noting the address of the nearest cellular tower address, even if location services are turned off and then as soon as they are connected to the Internet. Is sending this data to Google. As a result, Google has access to data about user presence and activity.

A Google spokesman said that the cellular tower addresses send information to Google based on which they have been sending notifications and messages on Android phones for the past 11 months. This information is not used or stored anywhere. Instead, Google is now eliminating these measures and Android phones will not send cell tower locations to Google until the end of November. "We started using cell ID codes in January this year to improve the speed and efficiency of message delivery. However, we never added cell ID to our network system, so it Data was destroyed immediately. "

It is not clear how the cell tower addresses were sent as a data string, which identified the specific cell tower and improved the delivery of messages through it?

According to the report, information from a single tower can tell where a mobile device is located, while multiple towers can tell the location within a quarter of a mile, but in cities it is much easier. Because there would be more mobile towers.

These measures will be troubling for those who do not like to be tracked, such as law enforcement officials or victims of domestic violence, especially women. Although the data sent to Google is encrypted, there is a risk that it may fall into the hands of a third party through spyware or various hacking methods.

The revelation comes at a time when Google and other Internet companies are facing strong criticism from lawmakers for using users' private data, such as political ideologies and their shopping spots. The fact is that this information is the key to the success of these organizations because they serve and earn advertising through it.

The key finding in the report is that whether the Android phone is set to the factory default setting, all apps that use location services will be removed from it, even if it does not have a SIM, whenever the device is connected to Wi-Fi or network. This will then send the nearest cell tower address to Google.