Last month we heard Google was getting sued again for collecting location data tied to user accounts. This is yet another reason it’s good to keep your Google account separate, away from your Google device if you have one. But last week Google announced that they will be changing this, auto deleting data after 18 months… but only for new Google accounts.
Arizona was suing Alphabet Inc. based in part on information from an associated press article.
While it’s good to check in your stored settings within Google and privacy settings, there are many other options for Android than the Google apps. F-droid is a good option, and it lets you easily find open-source alternatives, for example Osmand to replace Google maps.
This is all another good reason it’s good to consider the Librem Phone, available for pre-order now. Unlike other phones, this will not just run mostly-open-source software, it will have hardware switches to turn on or off cell phone, wifi, microphone and GPS. If you are considering a new phone within the next year this is one to watch for!