If an Android device (phone or tablet) has ever logged on to a particular Wi-Fi network, then Google probably knows the Wi-Fi password. Considering how many Android devices there are, it is likely that Google can access most Wi-Fi passwords worldwide.
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Android devices have defaulted to coughing up Wi-Fi passwords since version 2.2. And, since the feature is presented as a good thing, most people wouldn’t change it. I suspect that many Android users have never even seen the configuration option controlling this. After all, there are dozens and dozens of system settings to configure.
The article explains how to turn this off. Not that it, most likely, as is also explained, will that matter.
Good. They can spam me with hints and nags for stronger passwords.
Well, that is what happens when you accept “free” services which turn you into the product (which I would describe as well fed prostitute slave) – you get the goodies, Google customers (no, you are not Google customer if you use it, you are a Google PRODUCT) get to ass-rape you at every corner for a fee to Google.
Article stops short of true solution in Android case (and for it you don’t even need to root it, never mind go further than rooting): if you like Android OS, fine, just do not get any Google account and use the device without touching any Google services, or if you touch them – they’ll ask for account and you do not proceed further as you do not have one. “Backup” function that all this is about, even if not disabled is simply not functional. But, oh the overall functionality of such Android use?! – Not a slightest problem. I use Android phones and tablets that way and all what I need and want can be done just fine and without issues. I get my apps either by direct download from their makers or through Amazon App store for example…
But Amazon…? – No, there is fundamental difference between Amazon, who MAINLY earns their income by selling stuff to YOU. YOU are Amazon customer. Yes, they likely collect and trade data about you but with a crucial free market feedback: their first priority is that YOU are happy and continue to be paying customer. They won’t sell you to the extent that you quit as proportion of income Amazon reaps selling you in miniscule vs. one of selling TO you. You are primary Amazon customer. You are primary Google product… Apply this to all your online services and devices, very simple to “decode” who is who – and stories like this become quite irrelevant.
When I got both of my tablets (an original galaxy tab and an Asus TF300), to the best of my knowledge, both required a google account. I haven’t used either of them (at least willingly), any service that I can find that may provide information that I do not want provided, has been disabled – including backup. However, these devices still have a lot of crap that runs in the background that is unneeded and there is no way to shut these of that I’m aware of without rooting the device and cleaning out the stock android OS that comes with it.
“The article explains how to turn this off. Not that it, most likely, as is also explained, will that matter.”
Most people have a “strength in numbers”, wildebeest mentality. Yeah the crocodiles will kill and eat some of us, but because I am one of millions, it won’t be me!
Meanwhile, they keep crossing the river wearing their unprotected “meat suits”. Yummy.
We are all equal digital slaves under the eyes of Google!
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How does the article say that Google probably has your wifi password? What does ‘probably’ mean? Do most people use backup your account to Google server?
It also doesn’t apply in my case as I don’t have a wifi password.
No password? So anybody can hijack your router? Cool!
Well, the router admin password is activated, though I suspect those are easy to hack anyway. But yea, the wifi is generally open. Even when there is a password set, I think they are pretty easy to hijack. I’ve seen someone sit down and use some unknown neighbor’s wifi that had security on.
This is a frigg’n outrage.
I don’t want Google to know stuff about me that I don’t make public.
If Google doesn’t know it, how will Organizing for America get it?
Doesn’t Google already know your router details from its Street View? So now it can combine the two along with its other databases, so they have your address, name of router, and password, which can be pulled up by any employee whenever they want.
Kind of like ObamaCare.
Obamacare is much better. Medical electronic records are essential to future reductions in costs of the already great strides made by Obamacare. Thank you, Pres Obama for Obamacare.
I don’t know how Google can access ones router details and password. Well, maybe your because your password is ‘password’
>I don’t know how Google can access ones router details and password.
So you understood my comment meant electronic medical records, but didn’t understand the main post?
Nobody really quite understands your point. The Obamacare thing is just the new communist threat, domino theory thing you guys got going.
Anyway…I was just commenting that retrieval of router password while possible, given enough time and money, is not feasible.
>Anyway…I was just commenting that retrieval of router password while possible, given enough time and money, is not feasible.
So what is it you don’t want Google to know about you, that you said is an outrage?
As for electronic medical records, I don’t think the government, meaning any government employee, should be able to look up all your medical records. For that matter it shouldn’t be the case that every doctor you go to would know your number of sex partners, male or female. Note that doctors are for the most part required to ask these things under electronic health records regulations, with the only thing prohibited is whether you own a gun.
Overall, EMR is a bad idea because it turns doctors into typists, and encourages overbilling because they will use templates that say they ran all the tests.
So what is it you don’t want Google to know about you, that you said is an outrage?
I don’t want Google to know what a charm I am and that I have lots of money because if they share it, it will attract all sorts of shit. I gotz my man. (sorry Pedro)
Overall, EMR is a bad idea because it turns doctors into typists, and encourages overbilling because they will use templates that say they ran all the tests
Wrong way to look at it. Using dead trees to record and transmit medical records is a HUGE waste of time, money, prone to errors and opportunity of loss.
EMR is the single biggest advance that needs to be done in healthcare – by a mile.
This is news?
Had to ‘splain to few folks who ever visit with their Android devices why they’re relegated to a guest network – and I still change the password after they depart.
So if our cable modem w/WiFi router (provided free from the cable company) is set up with WPA2, can the password be decrypted when, for example, my niece’s BlueRay player connects to it? Seems unlikely. Isn’t the entire transaction encrypted? Even if it were possible, wouldn’t the Google Street Map car have to be in receiving range when the player connected? (Note: There is no Street View of our street.)
The Google van would definitely be able to sniff the router name, and perhaps encryption type. To get the password, it would probably have to be lucky.
What’s your routers public address? Lemmee give it a crack.
108.200.89.165
Bring it — that guy is a totally needs to be pwn’ed newfag, anyways.
How in the world will knowing the public address help you access the wifi? Do you even understand the concept of router passwords? Are you Mister conFusion posting under another name?
He seemed to be a bit more capable of reading comprehension. I wonder if this is schizo bobbo. One side of that guy thinks his wife is a lodger who he wants to evict.
Google collects MAC addresses from routers to uniquely identify them for their map products. Many other companies do as well. Along with cell towers the positions of the Wifi routers help with positioning for things like turn-by-turn navigation.
The concern is that since Android 2.x Google has been backing up user’s settings to their servers which include the router’s password and MAC address.
Put 2 and 2 together.
The settings backup happens if you log into your Google account on your phone (most people do) and haven’t turned off those settings. People have been talking about this for the last few years as a huge worry but Google claims they don’t correlate the information. They’ve been forced to purge some data and provide some outside oversight.
The question is: do you believe Google?
Sorry Uncle Patso, should have proofed that before hitting “Submit”.
Wifi routers don’t broadcast MAC addresses but the bottom line is that Google has more than enough information to log into your network if they wanted to put the data together.