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Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

theguardian.com

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Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#191

Post by code_duck »

UncleMeat wrote: post #187
code_duck wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn’t need to be constant or continual. I don’t talk continually near my phone, for one. Siri and other voice rec is able to get words from my audio without appearing to affect my phone function or slow it down. There are plenty of times my phone is idle that it could be doing that. Same with photos. When you give many apps access to your photos, as we know, they will analyze and/or transit the metadata of all p…

Siri listens for a hotword, which is tremendously easier than running general speech detection models all the time.

Seems like you have to do at least minimal analysis of all sounds to be listening for a hot word.

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#192

Post by goldenkey »

mseebach wrote: post #168
goldenkey wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The patterns are there. But often the connection is meaningful, not causal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity

The pattern in this case is the connection between surreptitious listening and the suggestion.

The brain is still seeing a pattern though it is one of correlated meanings/abstractions, not concrete causes.

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#193

Post by cpeterso »

gcb0 wrote: post #117
dvfjsdhgfv wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I read a bit more about this? In any case, you can still use the --no-referrers option, don't you?

no, reverted and that setting is no more. for a very long time by the way.

Looks like there is still some Chromium code to support no-referrers:

https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/services/network/loader...

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#194

Post by mdekkers »

wilsonnb wrote: post #179
mdekkers wrote: post #151

I'm really sick of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and every other company that uses lies, deceit, ambiguity and general dark patterns to coerce me into parting with the ownership of my systems. Google must be laughing their asses off with all the Facebook scrutiny - I am pretty sure that the profile FB has on users and non-users alike is but a vague precis when compared with the profile Google has on all of us. M…

I am curious why you think that these companies shouldn't be able to use your data because you paid for the software. Just because you paid for a software license doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with said software. I understand why people don't like this but I don't understand what principles people use to decide that it is immoral or should be illegal.

Just because you paid for a software license doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with said software.

Just because I bought their software doesn't mean they get to do what they like with my data, or my systems. The only right these companies get is that they can give me their software to use.

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#195

Post by wilsonnb »

mdekkers wrote: post #194
wilsonnb wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am curious why you think that these companies shouldn't be able to use your data because you paid for the software. Just because you paid for a software license doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with said software. I understand why people don't like this but I don't understand what principles people use to decide that it is immoral or should be illegal.

Just because you paid for a software license doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with said software. Just because I bought their software doesn't mean they get to do what they like with my data, or my systems. The only right these companies get is that they can give me their software to use.

It does mean they can do what they want with your system because the hardware and software are so closely linked. If Microsoft doesn't have the right to control your system then they can't sell you an operation system. That's what an OS does.

I also do not see why you think they have no right to your data. If you send them the data, they should be able to use it for whatever purpose they want that you agree to in the license. Assuming it's not illegal for some other reason, like credit card fraud.

I don't understand what principles people use to decide that they own all of their data and all data about themselves. It doesn't make sense to me.

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#196

Post by tunap »

_o_ wrote: post #59
flashman wrote: post #33

> "The information fed back to Google includes barometric pressure readings so it can work out, for example, which level of a shopping mall you are on." I scoffed, but this is actually a thing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4431287/ (It's also useful for weather observations, see the old PressureNET.io site for an opt-in version.) Anyway, my monthly mobile data usage for Google services is 110 MB and t…

I can tell you a bit more: - after stopped using Google Play services/framework and replaced it with microg, battery life improved for 30% with same programs beeing run and same settings without losing any functionality, this is the most obvious part that something is going on and it is hard to deny. I never used (while on google play) any syncing, gps fix and so on. Meaning exactly same settings, same programs, no g…

"like Location reporting (not the one visible, there is second one, you will need root to see it, you can disable it but it will automatically turn back on after a while"

Not if you delete the apk from /system/apps (?and correponding /data/data folder?).

Instability follows if you click settings>location or when apps still allowed location access call for it, however.

Am so tired of this ctap, I don't use G services(runninh AICP w/ many apks removed). The real challenge is removing Webview, most apps crash despite having no need for web access/functionality.

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#197

Post by [deleted] »

sjwright wrote: post #42
subroutine wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the difference? Both the hardware and the software are covered by hundreds of patents, copyright protections, license agreements, end user agreements, etc. The question here is what basic privacies can someone expect when they purchase a phone, and how transparent do companies need to be about what information they are collecting.

The difference is the essence of ownership. Google/Apple can't physically take away my phone, but they could declare a violation of the terms of service and terminate the software license agreement.

[deleted]

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#198

Post by cma »

exodust wrote: post #94
cma wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure they are confusing things. When you turn on airplane mode and turn off GPS, Google will log all the wifi access points you come across (which only requires listening on the radio, not sending), and when you turn Airplane mode back off, it will upload that data to Google who can then go back and retroactively track your location based on their access point location database.

You're presenting a hypothetical as fact. The article doesn't mention anything about logging wifi access points, that's just you throwing another theory into the mix. When Google location services is switched off, and your account is set to not track you or record history, there is absolutely not a "gig" of "secret spying" going on in the background. Nobody forces you to leave wi-fi and mobile data on by default and…

> Nobody forces you to leave wi-fi and mobile data on by default and everything set to default. Don't want to be tracked by Google? Then open settings and switch things off, it's not hard.

They track even when wifi is turned off, they still wake the radio to receive access point ssid broadcasts, they just don't send anything via wifi when it is off.

If you opt out of Google location services entirely then it won't do it.

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#199

Post by hannasanarion »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #3

So, my read on it is basically that the claim is that Google's data collection on Android costs users a lot of money in data charges. It's probably a fairly reasonable point to bring up since almost everything could be done on-device if Google didn't have specific interest in people's user data, but it's also very hard to argue that Google doesn't have user permission to do it, assuming EULAs nobody reads or can unde…

Not only is it absurd that every android user is losing an entire gig of data per month to a secret service without anyone noticing

But if you multiply by the number of android users, Google is allegedly collecting an exabyte per month.

That's about 1/10 the size of the entire web. More data than the big 5 combined can store. Per month.

Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Oracle. Shouldn't you be out arguing to a judge that you've copyrighted the idea of lists? Or was that last year's money-grubbing bullshit?

Re: Australian regulator investigates Google data harvesting from Android phones

#200

Post by hannasanarion »

watermelon0 wrote: post #190
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"we should've paid for our Java license". It will be more like "We should have bought Sun when we had the chance."

Am I the only one thinking it should be something along the lines of "We should not collect user data without an explicit consent?"

They have explicit consent. The article is about location services, which is explained in plain English at first boot. This "scandal" is 100% manufactured by Oracle
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