Quartz reported that Google began collecting data on the location of Android mobile phone users since early this year, even if the GPS is turned off, unplug the SIM card can not hide, and Google has also confirmed the matter.
According to the report, the software in Android phones and tablets collects information called the Cell ID, a set of globally-applicable 16-yard values that include the country in which the base station is located, the mobile network, the geographic area, and the base The station's identification number is unique to each station, and since the beginning of this year, this information has been sent to Google, even if the phone turns off GPS positioning or unplugs the SIM card.
Cell ID and Google Map can find the location of the base station.Although a single Cell ID can not locate a specific device location, but with multiple base station's Cell ID can find its location by triangulation method.
Google admits that it is collecting Cell ID numbers as ancillary information to help improve the speed and performance of message delivery The Verge quoted sources pointed out that the Cell ID code to improve is the service called Firebase Cloud Messaging Android phone or tablet Periodically called Google servers to receive messages in real time, but the company emphasized that it never stored the Cell ID in the company's network synchronization system, so the information was immediately removed and the plan was not resumed.
Google said it will release an Android update that removes the Cell ID feature later this month.
This is not the first time technology companies have been found to track user addresses. Last year, Uber broke the iOS app to collect information about passengers in the context of the implementation of the set time from the time the user called the car until the passengers get off five minutes so far because the controversy is too large, Uber terminated this feature in August of this year.