Do you dream of a smartphone without Google? The eFoundation invented it…

Recently, Pierre bought a plane ticket online for a stay in Florence, while his friend Ariane was looking for a house in the region on Airbnb. Even before the young man had the opportunity to open the message on Gmail confirming the vacation spot, Google had “read” this email… and linked the two events into a single trip in the Google Travel application! One example, among thousands of others, of how our smartphones have become the permanent snitch of our connected lives.

Whether through geolocation, navigation cookies or online purchases, the digital world has abolished any possibility of confidentiality. Our computers, tablets and phones constantly transmit millions of personal data to brands, web giants and even, in some cases, governments. According to a 2018 report by Digital Content Next, a phone running the Android mobile operating system (OS) and a Chrome browser (both produced by Google) transmits 11.6 megabits of data per day when active… and 4.4 when idle. In particular, it indicates its geolocation 340 times per 24 hours! A new study by Douglas Leigh of the University of Dublin, published in February [PDF, in English], shows that things have not improved since then. Apple's iPhones are a little more virtuous, but not free from reproach either.

Even if we have nothing special to hide,