Play Store question (and a few more)

Cardas89

Can somebody elaborate on the recommendation to use the Google Play Store with a personal Google account in GOS, and which privacy implications this choice has? What information will Google have with regards to my smartphone and app use, when using the Sandboxed Play Store in a separate user profile? My impression is that the Play Store with personal Google Account is recommended primarily because of security concerns with the alternatives (F-Droid Store, Aurora Store, APK sites etc). Is that correct? If yes, how do the privacy concerns of a personal Google account stack against this?

Some background to the question above: I started to become more privacy aware several months ago, but I am still searching for a practical application in my online life. Despite long evenings of reading, I still don't feel as if I can make informed decisions on the subject. As I read articles by privacy and security researchers, the feeling grows that I would have to give up my smartphone and a lot of my desktop use if I want to significantly reduce the arms of big tech. Against governments, even that doesn't seem to be enough, and more offline sacrifices would be needed.

Is this correct, or is there too much doom and gloom here?

Completely eliminating my online presence might be a sacrifice I'm not willing to make. Depending on the privacy consequences, I would like to continue online with messaging, email, calender and banking, while minimizing the influence of big tech as much as possible. If I decide to follow practical advice from the EFF, privacyguides.org, RestorePrivacy.com and other sources, does that actually make a significant difference in reducing big tech influence? Or am I primarily creating a false sense of privacy for myself?

I realize this has become a somewhat long post with multi-layered questions. References to online resources that address any of these questions are much appreciated.

katemason

You have got lots of questions in the post.

Cardas89 What information will Google have with regards to my smartphone and app use, when using the Sandboxed Play Store in a separate user profile?

This is what they will see in terms of devices: https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity and, obviously, they will know what apps are installed on your devices.

Cardas89 My impression is that the Play Store with personal Google Account is recommended primarily because of security concerns with the alternatives (F-Droid Store, Aurora Store, APK sites etc). Is that correct? If yes, how do the privacy concerns of a personal Google account stack against this?

If you are not targeted specifically, it is more secure to have Google Account with Play Store.

Cardas89 Is this correct, or is there too much doom and gloom here?

If you are targeted specifically they will get to you by sending an custom update of an app to you.

Cardas89 does that actually make a significant difference in reducing big tech influence? Or am I primarily creating a false sense of privacy for myself?

That is a very complicated question and the answer is different in each case. The general rule of thumb is that your on-line activity is traceable. They key is to make it difficult to link this activity to you.

With GrapheneOS on Pixel 7 Pro I have also found that body and physical activity sensors can actually be restricted so that Google does not know if you are walking, running, traveling in a car or public transport.

Apps access to microphone and camera is really powerful on GrapheneOS. Again, if you are targeted specifically, then I assume it is possible to connect to Pixel's mobile modem backdoor to listen in, at the end of the day this part of software is closed source so anything is possible. This is issue affect any mobile phone manufacturer who, I assume, are forced to plant this backdoor to be given certification required for mass production.

I wish you well and good luck in your journey to privacy.

Cardas89

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

katemason This is what they will see in terms of devices: https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity and, obviously, they will know what apps are installed on your devices.

Does Google receive data that goes through the apps themselves as a result of using the Play Store? Or is that determined by the trackers that are active in the app?

katemason If you are not targeted specifically, it is more secure to have Google Account with Play Store.

I realize it is more secure. My question was what the privacy impact is (the question above this one already answers this to some degree)

katemason If you are targeted specifically they will get to you by sending an custom update of an app to you.

That's both interesting and rather disturbing.

katemason That is a very complicated question and the answer is different in each case. The general rule of thumb is that your on-line activity is traceable. They key is to make it difficult to link this activity to you.

With GrapheneOS on Pixel 7 Pro I have also found that body and physical activity sensors can actually be restricted so that Google does not know if you are walking, running, traveling in a car or public transport.

Apps access to microphone and camera is really powerful on GrapheneOS. Again, if you are targeted specifically, then I assume it is possible to connect to Pixel's mobile modem backdoor to listen in, at the end of the day this part of software is closed source so anything is possible. This is issue affect any mobile phone manufacturer who, I assume, are forced to plant this backdoor to be given certification required for mass production.

How should I use and configure the physical sensors/microphone/camera to ~~ensure~~ minimize chances others cannot see and listen along?

katemason I wish you well and good luck in your journey to privacy.

Same to you!