Smartphones and other mobile devices were originally designed as surveillance devices that could be carried out by app developers, manufacturers, and even intelligence agencies. Despite the fact that some vendors have relied on ensuring privacy, in fact they cannot prohibit the work of built-in tracking tools, even if they pretend that they can, or say otherwise. Therefore, the US NSA has compiled a list of measures that allow you to protect yourself from surveillance.
US NSA Provides Protection Advice Android
Moving, recording voice commands and dictation, fixing favorite places, purchases – all this is recorded and transmitted to remote servers. And on the basis of the information received, a virtual portrait of the user is already being formed, which allows you to recognize him by his behavior, even without knowing his first and last name. Not to say that NSA advice will prevent surveillance by 100%, but arguing that they will at least minimize it is practically pointless. We have adapted these rules by putting them in simple language and explaining the nature of each of them.
How to protect yourself from surveillance on Android
Protecting your smartphone isn't that difficult. But it is not always advisable
- If you want to hide your location, you need to disable all wireless interfaces. The fact is that surveillance can be conducted not only through Wi-Fi or cellular networks, but also through Bluetooth and even Ultra Wideband.
- It should be remembered that even disabling all wireless interfaces does not automatically disable GPS. To disable it, you need to go to 'Settings' – 'Location data' and deactivate the location technology.
- The use of small gadgets, which you often do not attach importance to, can also play a cruel joke with you. Bluetooth – Headphones, smart speakers, and even IoT devices can be used for surveillance. Therefore, they also need to be disabled.
- The apps you have installed on your smartphone can also be sources of information that will track you. Therefore, in 'Settings', deny them access to geolocation, calls, SMS-messages and memory.
- The photos you post on social media usually have metadata. Therefore, make it a rule to delete them using special applications, which, however, can also receive this information, or not publish photos on the Internet at all.
- Advertising identifiers built into smartphones accumulate large amounts of data about users, forming their virtual portrait. Therefore, you need to dump them from time to time. To do this, go to 'Settings' – 'Ads and Privacy' – 'Reset Ad ID', and also disable targeted advertising.
Is it worth protecting Android
Android provides quite a few protection tools, but not all of them are worth using
Undoubtedly, some of the advice looks quite categorical and even stupid. In the end, not a single sane person will agree to disable all wireless interfaces on his smartphone, and he is unlikely to refuse to post photos on Instagram or videos on TikTok. However, removing metadata from photos is probably worth it. After all, even if one application saves them to itself, it is still safer than if tens, hundreds or even thousands of people saw it, depending on the reach of your subscribers.
When it comes to advertising, I will probably never find a follower here. In my opinion, it is absolutely not worth dumping the advertising ID and prohibiting targeted advertising. First, this information will be collected again, and it is not a fact that it is deleted at all. Secondly, you will not stop seeing ads from this. It will be shown to you in the applications and on the websites you visit. It's just that it will no longer be relevant, that is, it will be completely left and does not meet your needs. And, in my opinion, there is nothing worse than watching an advertisement that promotes a product you do not need.