Study Says Smartphones Share Our Data Every 4 ½ Minutes Even When Devices Are Idle

By B.N. Frank

There have been many reports about privacy risks and violations associated with smartphones (see 1, 2, 3) and other “Smart”, wireless, Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT) technology (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

If you’re concerned about that, here’s more upsetting news from The Irish Times:

Smartphones share our data every four and a half minutes, says study

Research claims there is little difference between Apple and Google when it comes to collecting certain data

Ciara O’Brien

Android handsets and iPhones send back data even when idle in a pocket or a handbag, according to the new academic study. Photograph: Getty Images

Android handsets and iPhones share data with their respective companies on average every 4½ minutes, with data being sent back even when idle in a pocket or handbag, according to a new academic study.

The Trinity College Dublin research has raised fresh privacy concerns about smartphones, with the research claiming there was little difference between Apple and Google when it came to collecting certain data.

The study, which was published by Prof Doug Leith at Trinity’s Connect Centre, claimed iPhones offered no greater privacy than Google devices.

However, the study noted that Google handsets collected “a notably larger volume of handset data than Apple” with 1MB of data being sent from idle Google Pixel handsets every 12 hours, compared with 52KB sent from the iPhone.

Among the data potentially sent back by the handsets were the insertion of a SIM and handset details such as the hardware serial number, IMEI, Wifi MAC address and the phone number.

“I think most people accept that Apple and Google need to collect data from our phones to provide services such as iCloud or Google Drive. But when we simply use our phones as phones – to make and receive calls and nothing more – it is much harder to see why Apple and Google need to collect data,” said Prof Leith.

“Yet in this study we find that Apple and Google collect a wealth of information in precisely that situation. It seems excessive, and it is hard to see why it is necessary.”

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Equally worrisome, government, independent and industry funded research has determined that exposure to cell phone radiation (and other sources of wireless) can at least increase the risk of cancer (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) as well as other health issues (see 1, 2, 3). Children are more vulnerable to exposure (see 1, 2) and it can affect pets as well.