Google CEO Sundar Pichai Questioned On Tracking Of Users' Locations

Mr. Pichai, is it true that the Android operating system sends Google information every few minutes, detailing the exact location of a smartphone within a few feet, the speed of movement of the phone, the altitude of the phone, sufficient to determine what floor of a building the phone is on, the temperature surrounding the phone, and other readings? And if so, with Americans carrying their phones with them virtually at all times, doesn't the collection of this volume of detailed information really mean that Google is compiling information about virtually every movement an individual with a smartphone is making every hour of every day? Mr. Chairman, thank you for that question. Today, for any service we provide our users, we go to great lengths to protect their privacy, and we give them transparency, choice, and control. Android is a powerful platform and provides smartphones for over two billion people. And as part of that, it depends on the applications users choose to use. If you're using a fitness application, which is detecting the number of steps you walk, you expect it to send that information, but it's a choice users make. We make it clear, and it depends on the use cases. So the answer to my question, my first question is yes. Is that correct, that the information that I cited is gathered by Google? For Google services, you have a choice of what information is collected, and we make it transparent. I understand there are uses that consumers make use of. I use it to keep track of the number of steps I walk. I understand that service that one of your competitors provides, so I understand that purpose. But do you think the average consumer understands that Google will collect this volume of detailed information when they click through the terms of service agreements in order to use the Android operating system? It's really important for us that, you know, that average users are able to understand it. This is why we do something called privacy checkup. Average users read the terms of service and the updates that are very frequently sent to us? Beyond the terms of service, we actually offer, we remind users to do a privacy checkup, and we make it very obvious every month. In fact, in the last 28 days, 160 million users went to went to their My Account settings where they can clearly see what information we have. We actually give, you know, show it back to them, and we give clear toggles by category where they can decide whether that information is collected, stored, or more importantly, if they decide to stop using it, we work hard to make it possible for users to take their data with them if they choose to use another service.