Google has denied claims that Pixel phones provide the company with private user data such as location, network status, phone number, and app list every 15 minutes.
Cybernews published a report containing these allegations on October 9, citing its own research team’s findings as evidence. In short, the report claims that Pixel phones share a substantial amount of personal data with Google at regular intervals, sometimes with services the user has not consented to using, and that the phone independently looks for new code to run, suggesting some degree of remote control is possible.
Google has since responded, saying that some data sharing is necessary for the provision of services by any phone company, and that the report “lacks crucial context” and misinterprets technical information.
Google Pixel data sharing claims
The Cybernews report claims that Pixel phones share personally identifiable information like the user’s email address, location, and phone number with several different Google endpoints, such as Face Grouping, Device Management, and Policy Enforcement.
Researchers made the claims after running a series of tests with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, using a proxy to intercept inbound and outbound network traffic, though this traffic was technically incomplete as rooting the phone disables AI and some other features.
Put simply, the report says the researchers could see the data leaving and entering the Pixel 9 Pro XL over wireless networks.
In the case of the Face Grouping endpoint, which is linked to the Google Photos feature of the same name, the team had not given any form of consent to the Google Photos app.
The team also claim to have found evidence of communication to an endpoint called “check-in” every 40 minutes, which shared data such as the phone’s firmware version, network status, SIM card carrier, and user’s email address.
The report notes that location data is shared even if GPS is disabled, using nearby Wi-Fi networks to estimate the user’s location.
Google’s response
Google responded to the claims made in the Cybernews report, and the outlet includes this response as part of the report. Tweaktown suggests this response was shared by email.
The response from Google emphasises that data collection and transmission is an essential part of many Google Play services, which provide core functions on certified Android devices.
Google also said that modifying – in this case rooting – a phone can trigger unintended data checks, and that users do need to explicitly consent to location, background activity, and usage data permissions.
A section of response shared by Cybernews reads: “User security and privacy are top priorities for Pixel. You can manage data sharing, app permissions and more during device setup and in your settings. This report lacks crucial context, misinterprets technical details and doesn’t fully explain that data transmissions are needed for legitimate services on all mobile devices regardless of the manufacturer, model or OS, such as software updates, on-demand features and personalized experiences”
Should you be worried about your phone sharing data?
In cases like this, it’s important to read as much as possible from both sides before forming an opinion. We aren’t in a position to offer any definitive answers here.
However, it’s fairly common knowledge these days that phone makers in general collect and retain a lot of data as part of their service provision and commercial operations.
If you’re worried about what permissions your phone software and specific apps have, you can usually check, approve, or revoke these in the settings app of whichever phone you use.
If you want to take your phone privacy to the next level though, you might consider a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which makes it harder for third parties to see your network activity – head over to our list of the best VPNs for more details.
And, as ever, be sure to keep up with our phones coverage for the latest news and updates.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
