Android messages and dialer apps quietly send data to Google, report alleges

Google’s Dialer and Messaging apps have been collecting and sending data without users’ consent and an opt-out option, according to a new report. The practice potentially violates Europe’s GDPR laws and other privacy laws across the globe.

Trinity College Dublin’s Professor Douglas Leith recently released a report, called “What Data Do The Google Dialer and Messages Apps on Android Send to Google?” Google’s Messages and Dialer send data to Google’s Firebase Analytics and Google Play Services Clearcut.

“The data sent by Google Messages includes a hash of the message text, allowing linking of sender and receiver in a message exchange,” the paper says. “The data sent by Google Dialer includes the call time and duration, again allowing linking of the two handsets engaged in a phone call. Phone numbers are also sent to Google.”