Google Also Tracking Android Phones?

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Apple came under fire last week for the Apple iPhone 4 tracking controversy. Data found by researchers indicate that Google might also be tracking Android users’ every move, although for a shorter period.

The iPhone and iPad tracking controversy involved a file that records where you’ve been based on the cell sites and Wi-Fi hotspots your phone has connected with. The issue has already called the attention of lawmakers and regulators beacuse of the potential privacy concerns.

Now it seems that it’s not only Apple who might be potentially spying on you. Recent research indicates that Android phones also save location-based data, and are transmitting these back to Google.

Swedish researcher Magnus Eriksson has found out that Android smartphones record the last 50 cell sites and last 200 Wi-Fi hotspots that the phone has connected with. Unlike Apple’s data, though, which is stored up to a year, the data is overwritten as soon as new information comes in. So this means that the moment your Android phone connects with a new Wi-Fi hotspot, the oldest entry in the list is bumped off. Likewise, the Android data is not as easily acquired as that on iOS, which can be easily found within the phone’s directory structure.

However, the question here is who get access to the information. Is the list sent to Google? Do location-aware Android apps have access to the information? Or is it simply a list that only the phone is able to access, for use in improving the performance of location-aware apps?