Google secretly installs a system that scans your pictures – how you can turn it off
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Does this only work on newer versions of Android? I have 11 and that is not on mine.
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Android 11 let me uninstall it.
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Link to play store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.safetycore
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The perfiditdy of naming this invasive piece of tech "SafetyCore" is chilling.
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No app description??
https://support.google.com/product-documentation/answer/16001929
Doesn't say what "safe" means, unfortunately. But answers some other questions:
- on-device scans
- is a service/component that can be integrated into/used by other apps
- is used [at least] in Google Messages
For incoming messages of unknown source it most certainly makes sense to use.
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Thanks! I didn't knew where to spit!
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Who the fuck are those 1 billion who have consent to download and install this on their phones?
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I imagine they are counting total installs, including ones pushed by Google.
In other words, Google has installed this software on 1 billion devices.
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The closed source and 'no external contact' gives me the willies, what if it's putting a localised database on your device and some other google app is sending it off?
You can get put away for years for messing with malware but as long as you're a giant business it's cool
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Naming nefarious things to make them seem good is pretty much par for the course. SAFE Act, Patriot Act, Protect Kids Act, etc.
The Murder The Homeless Act would never pass, but the Eliminate Homelessness Act definitely could because citizens don't read more than the headlines.
Surely the SafetyCore must be essential to protecting my phone.
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Man I love GrapheneOS
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a dsytopian classic!
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Got pixel 9proxl and immediately put gos on it. I don't miss my old pixel at all, and I enjoy watching apps throw a fit because they can't constantly phone home lol
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For those looking for the instructions:
Go to your phone settings – goes to the „Settings” menu of your Android device. Navigate to „Applications” – scrolls the list until you find the „Apps” or „Manage Apps” option. Search „SafetyCore” – in the list of system applications, search for „Android System SafetyCore”. Disable or uninstall the app – depending on your phone model and Android version, you will have the option to disable the app or in some cases even remove it completely. If you can't find this option or your phone doesn't allow uninstalling, you can try restricting the app's permissions to limit its access to your data.
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They probably already got people's data if they ever upload or backup their data to googles cloud or drive
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I heard it reinstalls itself in the next update, so keep that in mind. There is a way to freeze it with another app
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Oddly I don't have it installed.
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Jesus. Just go to the App store, search for Safetycore, and hit uninstall. This isn't rocket surgery.
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Freeze as in keep it from reinstalling? And what app?
