Re:Android phones are sending significant amount of user dat...
by shkkmo on Tuesday October 12, 2021 @12:05PM
(#28841391)
iOS collects and transmits all MAC addresses on the local network even with location services off, there is no way to disable this:
> iOS shares with Apple
the handset Bluetooth UniqueChipID, the Secure Element ID
(associated with the Secure Element used for Apple Pay and
contactless payment) and the Wifi MAC addresses of nearby
devices e.g. of other devices in a household of the home
gateway. When the handset location setting is enabled these
MAC addresses are also tagged with the GPS location.[0]
So the answer is clearly that while they are both bad for privacy with the default configuration, some Android devices provide more control over the device and thus options for disabling telemetry.
> iOS shares with Apple the handset Bluetooth UniqueChipID, the Secure Element ID (associated with the Secure Element used for Apple Pay and contactless payment) and the Wifi MAC addresses of nearby devices e.g. of other devices in a household of the home gateway. When the handset location setting is enabled these MAC addresses are also tagged with the GPS location.[0]
[0] https://www.scss.tcd.ie/doug.leith/apple_google.pdf
So the answer is clearly that while they are both bad for privacy with the default configuration, some Android devices provide more control over the device and thus options for disabling telemetry.