Trackers, Classes and... What exactly do they do?

Using /e/OS Applications
1

Hi all,

if I use Exodus
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.eu.exodus_privacy.exodusprivacy/
or ClassyShark
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.oF2pks.classyshark3xodus/

I find out, much to my chagrin, that Firefox Preview is using trackers…

Firefox%20Preview
Firefox%20Preview1440×2560 277 KB

There’s another app I wish did not have trackers:
Where Are U, the new European emergency app
https://where.areu.lombardia.it/

However…

Where%20Are%20U
Where%20Are%20U1440×2560 310 KB

But they swear they are not sharing my position with anybody
except with the emergency service and only if I ask for help.

FAQ
FAQ1440×2560 91.2 KB

A number of other apps I have installed – and that I will probably uninstall – include the following trackers:

Amplitude
Appcelerator
Appsflyer
Branch
Braze
Bugsnag
Facebook Analytics
Facebook Login
Facebook Places
Facebook Share
Google Analytics
Google Crashlytics
Google Firebase Analytics
Google Tag Manager
HockeyApp
Matomo
Microsoft App Cemter
OneSignal
Webtrends
μ?ACRA

My questions:

  1. What are “Classes”?
    What does the number before “Classes”, like 622 Classes, mean?
    (rule of thumb: the higher the number, the worse we get tracked?)

2- Who can we trust?
(if we can’t trust Mozilla or the Emergency number)

3- Which of the above trackers are the worst offenders?
What can we expect them to do?

Thanks!

Massimo

6 Likes
2

Great topic, Interested in learning more about this aswell.

2 Likes
3

In general it’s true to say that those trackers “steal” personal data. Trackers send the users’ data to certain servers. Here is a good analysis of what e.g. the tracker Google Crashlytics (on the list above) is doing:
https://www.kuketz-blog.de/android-crashlytics-ein-gigantisches-datengrab/

And this is one of the less evil tracker. There are much worse, stealing even personal data you would not think of.

4
  1. Classes are blueprints of software objects, objects contain functionality and data. So the number means the tracker code is found in that many pieces of software object oriented programming
5

I am curious about this too.

If I have trackers such as Google Firebase Analytics, downloaded via Aurora (into Shelter app), can Google do things like receive my location?

EDIT: I notice that the Jabra companion App had Baidu trackers for coarse & fine location in there, absolutely unnecessary