Google’s ‘Secret’ Update Scans All Your Photos
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I struggle with GitHub sometimes. It says to download the apk but I don't see it in the file list. Anyone care to point me in the right direction?
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God I wish I could completely deny internet access to some of my apps on stock android. It's obvious why they don't allow it though.
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For people who have not read the article:
Forbes states that there is no indication that this app can or will "phone home".
It's stated use is for other apps to scan an image they have access to find out what kind of thing it is (known as "classification"). For example, to find out if the picture you've been sent is a dick-pick so the app can blur it.
My understanding is that, if this is implemented correctly (a big 'if') this can be completely safe.
Apps requesting classification could be limited to only classifying files that they already have access to. Remember that android has a concept of "scoped storage" nowadays that let you restrict folder access. If this is the case, we'll it's no less safe than not having SafetyCore at all. It just saves you space as companies like Signal, WhatsApp etc. no longer need to train and ship their own machine learning models inside their apps, as it becomes a common library / API any app can use.
It could, of course, if implemented incorrectly, allow apps to snoop without asking for file access. I don't know enough to say.
Besides, you think that Google isn't already scanning for things like CSAM? It's been confirmed to be done on platforms like Google Photos well before SafetyCore was introduced, though I've not seen anything about it being done on devices yet (correct me if I'm wrong).
Issue is, a certain cult (christian dominionists), with the help of many billionaires (including Muskrat) have installed a fucking dictator in the USA, who are doing their vow to "save every soul on Earth from hell". If you get a porn ban, it'll phone not only home, but directly to the FBI's new "moral police" unit.
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Per one tech forum this week: “Google has quietly installed an app on all Android devices called ‘Android System SafetyCore’. It claims to be a ‘security’ application, but whilst running in the background, it collects call logs, contacts, location, your microphone, and much more making this application ‘spyware’ and a HUGE privacy concern. It is strongly advised to uninstall this program if you can. To do this, navigate to 'Settings’ > 'Apps’, then delete the application.”
I'd that what's killing my fucking battery like crazy lately?
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Do you mean sandboxed?
not necessarily... I mean If they run under the same VM, I'd be fine with that as well...but having a sandboxed wrapper would for sure be nice.
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if there was something that could run android apps virtualized, I'd switch in a heartbeat
Every one of them can, AFAIK. I have a second cheap used phone I picked up to play with Ubuntu Touch and it has a system called Waydroid for this. Not quite seamless and you'll want to use native when possible but it does work.
SailfishOS, PostmarketOS, Mobian, etc all also can use Waydroid or a similar thing
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I didn't understand the value of fdroid all since it feels like a web wrapper. Thanks to you finally pulled the trigger on Obtanium. Omg that's simple af
Droid-ify and Neo-Store are alternative clients for the F-Droid repository (and other repos), that you may like better than the official client. But yeah, Obtainium is indeed simple and it's powerful if you already know exactly which app you want to install (rather than searching for relevant options in some repositories).
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I switched over to GrapheneOS a couple months ago and couldn't be happier. If you have a Pixel the switch is really easy. The biggest obstacle was exporting my contacts from my google account.
Contacts are overrated.
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Apple had it report suspected matches, rather than warning locally
The official reason they dropped it is because there were security concerns. The more likely reason was the massive outcry that occurs when Apple does these questionable things. Crickets when it's Google.
The feature was re-added as a child safety feature called "Comminication Saftey" that is optional on a child accounts that will automatically block nudity sent to children.
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Per one tech forum this week: “Google has quietly installed an app on all Android devices called ‘Android System SafetyCore’. It claims to be a ‘security’ application, but whilst running in the background, it collects call logs, contacts, location, your microphone, and much more making this application ‘spyware’ and a HUGE privacy concern. It is strongly advised to uninstall this program if you can. To do this, navigate to 'Settings’ > 'Apps’, then delete the application.”
I just un-installed it
Anyone know what Android System Intelligence does? Should that be un-installed as well?
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Per one tech forum this week: “Google has quietly installed an app on all Android devices called ‘Android System SafetyCore’. It claims to be a ‘security’ application, but whilst running in the background, it collects call logs, contacts, location, your microphone, and much more making this application ‘spyware’ and a HUGE privacy concern. It is strongly advised to uninstall this program if you can. To do this, navigate to 'Settings’ > 'Apps’, then delete the application.”
It didn't appear in my apps list so I thought it wasn't installed. But when I searched for the app name it appears. So be aware.
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Even with the latest update from Samsung, I am not seeing this app. My OnePlus did get it with the February update and I had to remove it.
I'm on an ASUS and it didn't appear in my app list, but when I searched in my settings list it did. So maybe it's something similar for you.
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Is there any indication that Apple is truly more secure and privacy conscious over Android? Im kinda tired of Google and their oversteps.
The short answer is: Apple collects much of the same data as any other modern tech composite, but their "walled garden" strategy means that for the most part only THEY have access to that info.
It's technically lower risk since fewer parties have access to the data, but philosophically just about equally as bad because they aren't doing this out of any real love for privacy (despite what their marketing department might claim)
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The app can be found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.safetycore
The app reviews are a good read.
The 5 star reviews are whack
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I just un-installed it
Anyone know what Android System Intelligence does? Should that be un-installed as well?
First result of DDG search, explains it quite well: https://www.androidauthority.com/android-system-intelligence-3325187/
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Contacts are overrated.
New os, who dis?
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New os, who dis?
Niko, it's your cousin, Roman. LETS GO BOWLING!
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I switched over to GrapheneOS a couple months ago and couldn't be happier. If you have a Pixel the switch is really easy. The biggest obstacle was exporting my contacts from my google account.
LineageOS is amazing as well. Especially since it covers many devices
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I'd that what's killing my fucking battery like crazy lately?
I'm curious about this. I've got a Pixel 6 and noticed that the battery started going to shit about a month or so ago? I couldn't find an install date for SafetyCore, but it was listed in my apps. I've uninstalled it now. It'll be interesting to see if that was causing it.
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I switched over to GrapheneOS a couple months ago and couldn't be happier. If you have a Pixel the switch is really easy. The biggest obstacle was exporting my contacts from my google account.
GrapheneOS — an Android security developer — provides some comfort, that SafetyCore “doesn’t provide client-side scanning used to report things to Google or anyone else. It provides on-device machine learning models usable by applications to classify content as being spam, scams, malware, etc. This allows apps to check content locally without sharing it with a service and mark it with warnings for users.”
