duh.
Google collects metadata from Android phones
121–130 of 263 posts
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#122Are people really surprised about this anymore? I can't say that I am. Google is a company which makes a lot of money off of their platforms. I expect them to be collecting data wherever and whenever they can. I see stories like this every day but I've become accustomed to it because it's such a normal practice nowadays, especially from a company like google which provides so many advertising services. I'm not saying…
Personally I am not surprised in the sense that we could anticipate the coming occurrence of Google attempting to collect data in a reasonable manner, with the definition of reasonable tracking what people's current expectations actually are. When you say, "wherever and whenever," I would be surprised if I found out that Google had put up a bunch of thermal webcams around my house and were just looking at where I was inside of the house at all times. That would fall under the definition of, "wherever and whenever they can," but I don't believe they are doing that. However, they could be...and if an article comes out showing that they do, I will be surprised by that, yes. I was surprised to learn that Google was logging on to passwordless WiFi networks through the Streetview car. If they make a similarly high jump in their spying activity according to what people think they might be doing, I will be surprised. However if they just sort of track people's normal expectations, I won't be surprised. I think Google is still abiding by their, "don't be evil," mantra still applies, but what is considered evil by the majority of Google users changes over time. Does that make sense or no?
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
This feels a bit like blaming unsafe working conditions and 12-hour work days at the beginning of the industrial revolution on workers, because they signed the contracts (this was the prevailing narrative from factory owners at the time too). At some point, society came to the conclusion that the workers and factory owners were not on equal footing, and so rules were instated, despite strong protests from the factory…
People LOVE their phones and the functionality it provides, this is not analogous to being forced into shitty miserable manufacturing jobs to buy food for your kids. You can buy a dumbphone with a contact list that makes calls, but people don't.
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Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#124Are people really surprised about this anymore? I can't say that I am. Google is a company which makes a lot of money off of their platforms. I expect them to be collecting data wherever and whenever they can. I see stories like this every day but I've become accustomed to it because it's such a normal practice nowadays, especially from a company like google which provides so many advertising services. I'm not saying…
I make the same assumption and the chilling effect is frustrating. I assume everything I type on the internet is able to be tied back to me if anyone at the NSA etc wanted to look at me specifically. Unless you always use a VPN (or Tor) for all of your accounts and go through the unreasonable efforts of preventing browser fingerprinting, chances are this is true for everyone. And even those efforts are thwarted if th…
It's dead if you use all these "free" services, "free" mobile os and services and "free" apps like Chrome browser, provided by Google,Facebook and co. By using these "freebies" you are willingly giving up data. People are effectively paying with their privacy, it is made completely clear. That's the model the "free" internet chose to go with. People don't seem to care about their privacy or don't understand the consequences of giving up all their data to Google and co. These collected data are not anonymous.
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Part of the problem is the large percentage of apps that are now tied to proprietary Android, and won't run without Google Apps installed. Even Microsoft apps like Outlook and Skype won't load without Google Play Services installed. (The version of Skype on the Amazon Appstore is around a year old, and won't even take my login credentials.) So even if you find a relatively safe Android version to use, you're getting…
Hmm... so effectively Android is no longer open.
It's open enough that direct competitors, like Amazon, for example, can base their own OSs that have their own ecosystems on AOSP.
Google could be more open. But there isn't any evidence the parts of Android that are not open are not open in order to stop open or even competitive semi-closed Android derivatives.
They are open enough enable competitors to use the same technology platform, including some very valuable technologies like the ART compilers. If they intended to lock out competitors, they could easily have done so.
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#126A Gooxit would be in order. From time to time I wonder why the EU accepts foreign companies stealing so much personal data. China did the right thing. We should learn from them. India, afaik, also has better protection.
I moved my e-mail off Google a few years ago after the PRISM leaks (which the world seems to have collectively forgotten about), but it's not easy. I've posted an article before on my struggles with running my own e-mail server and my messages going straight to spam (even with valid DMARC, DKIM and SPF records). I have a lot of friends internationally and I feel I can't exit FB, Google Hangouts, etc. The idea of fede…
Use WhatsApp. At least they only have metadata and not the content of all your messages.
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#127So we need a fork that runs sans Gapps
I would rather have a true GNU Linux phone/mobile computer...
What do you think of this?
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#128So we need a fork that runs sans Gapps
Already exists: Use cyanogenmod or replicant, and don't install google play services or any google apps.
This is better, no? https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#129But what is the paid alternative of all this privacy invasion? Even Apple is doing it now.
Re: Google collects metadata from Android phones
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
This feels a bit like blaming unsafe working conditions and 12-hour work days at the beginning of the industrial revolution on workers, because they signed the contracts (this was the prevailing narrative from factory owners at the time too). At some point, society came to the conclusion that the workers and factory owners were not on equal footing, and so rules were instated, despite strong protests from the factory…
People LOVE their phones and the functionality it provides, this is not analogous to being forced into shitty miserable manufacturing jobs to buy food for your kids. You can buy a dumbphone with a contact list that makes calls, but people don't.
That's actually a good example. Many honest people and criminals alike who value privacy are buying feature phones with no background apps, GPS turned off, and sometimes battery out. Been going on a long time. Great improvement in privacy or odds someone (outside nation-state) is going to remotely snatch your secrets. There's also regular press releases showing smartphones have lots of hackers targeting them.
Yet, people buy iPhones and Androids instead. They wanted those features over privacy or security. Next step was people posting hardening guides plus making private apps for these. Most people still didn't use them. Next step, given that and low sales of "crypto phones," was to make new crypto phones & mobile solutions that pre-hardened Android, pre-supplied key apps we needed, and provided things like remote wipe. Most people and businesses don't buy those even if the price gets down to a normal smartphone.
I mean, what else is even left to do to appeal to majority who won't buy a fully-featured, privacy-enabled, Android phone for Android prices? At this point, I feel comfortable saying the buyers are the problem or (said differently) they have a clear preference against any private phone companies produce. They're for existing UX, tons of apps, more tracking for app's features, cloud backups providers can read, faster, prettier, and so on. Everything that enables hackers.
So, I suggest companies just say "Screw it! I'm just going to do a marginal improvement on whatever customers want while making excuses when problems happen." Since telling them it's their own choice doing it or offering them a secure phone will both lead to financial losses.