The Google keyboard (Gboard) is quite remarkable. It packs in cool features like gesture typing that involves swiping your finger through the alphabets, predictive text input, voice dictation, and so on. This most popular keyboard app has long been coined by another company called Swype.
First released in April 2013, Swype revolutionized smartphone input. Swype faced stiff competition when Google released its own version of the keyboard in May 2016 – Gboard. Surprisingly, it appeared on iOS first, then Android in December of the same year. From this point, there is no turning back.
Nuance pulled the plug on Swype earlier this year. That has helped Gboard become an undisputed favorite application and receive the love of users. The reason is simple: Google has integrated Gboard into stock Android. As a result, Gboard has become part of the Google Apps bundle that comes pre-loaded on most Android phones. And that’s how Gboard got consent from users and started collecting user data just to send them to Google.
A history tainted with data breaches
The recent Google+ data leak exposed more than 500,000 records, which have been surprisingly kept secret for several years. Finally, Google decided to kill its social network. Furthermore, this is not the first time; A list of recorded data breaches revealed that Gmail was also hacked, damaging the records of 5,000,000 users.
So it’s an obvious fact: stored data can leak. Indeed, this is a major privacy issue. When the nature of data revolves around personal behavior through data entry mechanisms, such as typing, things can get even more serious. So one might want to be wary of the kind of data that Google’s most popular apps like Gboard collect and send to its servers. Of course, not to mention the coding involved in the whole process.
You probably have no reason to worry when third-party keyboard apps from established companies like Google and Microsoft record your input because they have clear privacy statements. related to their products. As Glenn Fleishman, a senior Macworld contributor reported on how Gboard was responsible for “the leak of unencrypted information that someone on an open network, such as Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, has blockable,” Google was quick to take action. to fix it. Google solved the problem, but the cynical mind never stopped working.
Google claims that they collect anonymous user data to improve their products, which is absolutely true. However, a person can have enough reasons not to participate in their data collection and this is where we get to the main point of this article, which is how to stop Gboard from collecting your data. and send that data to its server.
Speaking of data collection and tracking, did you know that a VPN protects you from commercial surveillance by ad trackers and vice versa, keeping your browsing safe and secure. Are not? If you’re looking for a basic VPN plan, check out ProtonVPN. It allows you to try a free trial before upgrading to paid plans.
How to prevent Gboard from accessing your personal data on Android
Gboard comes pre-installed on some Android phones. If you happen to have it on your phone, the whole process should take no more than a few minutes at most.
Step 1: Open Gboard by clicking on the application icon. Once you’ve done that, you’ll come across the screen shown in the image below.
Step 2: Click Advanced options and dismiss Share usage stats and Share snippets option.
This will prevent the app from automatically sending your keyboard usage statistics and the snippets you type to Google.
If you don’t have the app installed but plan to do so, Google has made it relatively easy for you to know that the app is seeking your permission to share your data. After a few minutes of entering the newly installed application, you will encounter a pop-up like the one below.
All you have to do is click the rather polite ‘No thanks’ option, and that’s it. If you want to make sure you’re all set, follow the steps above to verify if the options are selected.
Google claims that Gboards checks contacts to use those details to improve quick suggestions regarding contact information when typing emails or messages. If you don’t want Gboard to read your contacts, you can do so by following the steps below:
Step 1: Open Gboard’s app info from Settings>Apps & notifications
Step 2: Click Permissions
Step 3: Remove the option Contacts
After doing that, Gboard will not read your contact details to send that data to Google. I even went as far as to turn off the microphone option (because I prefer to enter search commands), but some users don’t do that. After all, it’s a matter of convenience.
How to prevent Gboard from accessing your personal data on iOS
Gboard is one of the popular iOS keyboards. So if you use Gboard regularly, you can restrict it from sharing your data.
Note:
While iOS retains control when it comes to providing sensitive information like passwords, Gboard if it installs functions at will and in the process collects some bits of information. Here’s a Reddit thread about how third-party keyboard apps handle user data. In the screenshot below is the official document from Apple.
Regardless, you can prevent that from happening and the app should work properly. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Go to Settings > Gboard > Keyboard
Step 2: Swipe off Allow Full Access
Finished! Good friend. As I said above, the application should work properly.
User data is a precious commodity
Android and iOS apps collect user data, which can be used for advertising purposes – creating targeted, local campaigns to get more money. You can stop sending them such data at the expense of less intrusive and targeted ads. However, that is not it. Data breaches are frequent and hit the most reputable companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple.
Moreover, this kind of data is also pushed to other companies. The way these companies handle your data is completely different from the agreement between you and Google or Apple, Facebook or Microsoft for that matter.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
