Skyhook offers 'Always-On' background STALKING feature Location data provider Skyhook has debuted a new "Always-On" feature in version 4.6 of its mobile software development kit for coders. The Boston-based outfit said that more and more applications, particularly in the social networking market, demanded persistent background location information. But smartphones with location- …
I don't enable social media apps on my phone. I don't want to be tracked, and it's bad enough that half the crap that comes pre-installed is probably doing so in ways I can't prevent, passing data without my consent.
All phones and apps should have an easily-findable "Do not share personal data" button to prevent anything that the user didn't explicitly initiate from being sent.
If I read this http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/faq.php correctly, the do not share personal data bit would get bypassed. Even with Wifi, GPS, and network tracking off, Skyhook would be determining your location based on its database of base stations and the base stations your phone is seeing. I interpret that as if this was on your phone, it would be bypassing the entries you made on the Do not share personal data buttons from your phone's OS...
On Android, most background programs can be listed under "Settings>Applications>Running Services" from the home screen.
An application called "AppTraffic" keeps track of all data used, and which program used it, since the last reboot. I found this invaluable in finding out "who phones home" and the amount of data they communicate.
Incidentally, Google Play and Google Maps run background services you can't stop. Bad Google... But you can turn off GPS when you aren't using it, and that will stop Google Maps from using much CPU, or sending much data. Google Play has to be terminated from the Running Services screen. Unlike maps, it doesn't automatically restart until you run it, or reboot.
Google Play runs in the background so that it can update applications and listen for commands to install and update apps via the play.google.com web interface (though like all other push messaging based apps - the app doesn't need to be running in the background to respond - Android will launch it automatically)
In Ice Cream sandwich and Jelly Bean however - you can go in to the data usage screen and disable background data on a per-app basis to stop apps phoning home if you so require.
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