Android, Google, Privacy and "Don't Be Evil"

Hardware Hub Phones, Tablets, & Wearables
1

I'm curious about privacy issues on the Android platform and with Google as a whole. I last used Android in the 2.x era and expect that a lot has changed since. Everything was tied to your google account: Contacts, Calendars, Email, Messaging, Browsing Data, et cetera. I left the platform after moniitoring the packets sent by the phone to the various nefarious and benevolent aggregators in the inter-webs. (I was using the Nexus One at the time so I wasn't seeing Carrier IQ traffic - a separate issue). Similarly, it seems that Chrome shares a great deal about you with the Google Overlords (though being tracked by Google isn't an unique feature of Chrome - it's a feature of the Internet now).

So moving on to the questions:

  • What privacy issues remain from the Android 2.x days? What are the new issues?
  • What behaviors and tools do you employ to protect your personal information/data while using platforms such as Android and Chrome?
  • If you ignore the problem of privacy does it go away? (the AT&T/Verizon/Apple approach)
2

All I can really answer is the second question.

See if there is a Disconnect add-on for Chrome.  There should be something one could use.  I use Firefox, so I'm not versed with Chrome at all

 

At least for Firefox there are Google disconnect, Facebook disconnect, and Twitter disconnect; although I have to allow Google requests to see a video or pictures on a lot of websites (like Tek Syndicate!)