Google being evil again, or just me being paranoid?

Like most people in 2018, I have a smartphone. For some months--probably for longer, but I only really noticed it in the past 8 or 9 months--I get these random traffic updates on my phone every twice in a while. "Light traffic in your area," for example. Anyhow. A week or so ago I realized that these messages aren't actually random. In fact, every time my car goes somewhere, even if my phone stays at home, I get a "traffic update."

Now, several people use my car. And as soon as my car moves out of the driveway, my phone gets a traffic update even if I'm sitting in my kitchen and someone else has the car. Also, each time someone stops, turns off the car, then starts going again, I get another traffic update.

Wtf?

I have a 2012 manual Mazda 2, and the fanciest thing about it is a CD player. It has no tech, not even an mp3 player or remote lock/unlock capability. I do have a TomTom (which has quit working and is currently unplugged from its power source.) And the car does have a GPS tracker attached to the underside of it somewhere--put there by the dealership so they can find it if they ever need to repo it--but that shouldn't have anything to do with Google. So how the hell does GOOGLE know when my car leaves my house? Google knows my car left home even when I don't know myself sometimes! How is this even possible?

a reply to: riiver

I wasnt aware Google God does anything that isnt evil.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

True. But HOW is it doing this? Connected to the dealer-installed gps tracker? If so, how?

a reply to: riiver

Is your car console synched to your phone? I have a 2014 Ford, and it keeps trying to connect to a phone. I refuse to synch mine, but it keeps searching for a phone. My husband had his linked so he could use the car speakerphone attachment, but he unsynched when he found that Siri was listening in and unexpectedly replying through the car interface. Creeeeepy.... (Siri pops up at weird times, on his phone, too. Like she's stalking us...)

a reply to: Jilara

No. The car doesn't have anything bluetooth or "smart" in any way. Nothing capable of syncing. Like I said, the highest-tech thing it has is a CD player. That's what makes the whole thing so puzzling.

a reply to: riiver

Because its already "predicted" well in advance what you would do, by analysis of your previous behavior and travel patterns.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Nope. The message pops up when the car moves, only when the car moves, and every time it moves after being parked and turned off. If it were going by analysis of my regular patterns, it would happen lots of times when the car is still parked, and not happen sometimes when the car does move. And it doesn't. It only happens when the car actually goes somewhere.

Sounds coincidental. Weird but not enough info.

a reply to: BrianFlanders
Well, it's freaked me out more than a little and if anyone can find the answer I'd be thrilled. And I'll happily give more info if you can tell me what might be helpful.

I don’t think you’re being paranoid OP. Something has happened somewhere to get this strange sinc happening. I don’t know what it is.. but if it’s happening like you said it was, something is definitely up.

While I can’t speak to your specific problem, google is definitely evil. I also feel you are right to be creeped out. That would creep me out as well.

Try submerging your phone in a toilet for a few hours and see if it stops.

a reply to: Metallicus

Lol. I've actually dropped this phone in the toilet with no adverse effects once the speaker dried out.

a reply to: Sheye

I need someone super tech-savy to put in their two cents. I figure that my google account/google device (this is the second phone I've had since getting the car a couple of years ago) somehow recognizes and tracks the GPS tracker from the dealership, because that's the only thing that makes sense at all. But just how, and even more WHY this is so I can't imagine.

Edit to add: Which is why I brought this to ATS. I figured of all the hundreds of users here, surely someone has a good working knowledge of Android and how this might work. Not that I imagine there's anything I can actually do about it short of not using a smartphone--I'd just like to understand the how and why.

Also--and this just occurred to me a few minutes ago--this only happens on my phone, not on either of my 2 Android tablets which are logged in using the same Google account.

a reply to: riiver

Bring this up to the dealership, and ask if your phone number is somehow attached to the GPS in the car. it might, MIGHT be an error where the DEALERSHIP should be the only ones tracking your car, and somehow your number got put into the wrong box.

Google could have associated your smartphone with the smartphone of anyone else in close proximity. Then when their smartphone moves, your phone gets the traffic updates.

I get Facebook giving me friend recommendations of people who have been in a car next to me, even if it is just for a fleeting moment while I am in a taxi.

A similar thing I get is that if I send off a resume by Email to a private company, I soon get a cascade of Linkedin connection requests and job ads from recruitment agencies (particularly IC Resources, who no matter how many employees I block, someone else always pops up like whack-a-mole).

a reply to: wylekat

That's a very good idea. Thank you.

a reply to: stormcell

That's an interesting thought, and possibly even creepier. I do live in a house full of other phones, and I haven't noticed whether anyone ever takes the car but doesn't take their phone. I'll have to test that out by having someone else take the car sans phone and see if it happens. Thanks for the idea!

May be it is not Google as the source - they are just using the info acquired by someone else. Google just thinks it is you when the car moves.

If your car's GPS tracker goes thru the internet, it knows your location. It must, if the gealership can pull up your cars' location online.

Google knows your phones location 24/7, that's a given.

Perhaps the cars' gps uses Googles' cloud services, that could be the link?

Just a thought.