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Google has closed a service designed to help operators around the world improve their coverage by providing aggregated data from Android devices. The shutdown comes at a time when data protection in the industry is causing more and more concern.
Google's Google Mobile Network Insights service was launched in 2017 as a free tool for wireless service providers around the world to detect vulnerabilities in their network coverage. According to a new report from Reuters, the service would "essentially a map showing the signal strengths of the operators and the connection speeds delivered in each zone."
Data shared by Google has been aggregated and anonymized, meaning that operators have not obtained information about individual users. However, it is a valuable tool for vendors as they can view statistics about their network performance in different regions. The platform also displayed competitor service statistics, which were not identified by name.
Data from Google Mobile Network Insights comes from devices running Android, which is about 75% of the world's smartphones, but only users with "location history sharing" and use and diagnostics enabled on their Google account. Despite this, Google decided to discontinue the service in April, without invoking a formal reason to justify its decision. Carriers around the world have just been informed of the closure.
A spokesman for Google has confirmed for Reuters indeed, the service is now interrupted and the change of "product priorities" has been the main determining factor of the decision. However, those aware of the decision claim that Google's decision was motivated by "data privacy concerns" and thereby avoided a more careful analysis by lawmakers.
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