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Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

bbc.com

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Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#551

Post by mackrevinack »

astral303 wrote: post #113
prepend wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google has implemented this asshole design/nagware in many products to push unnecessary to me and invasive data collection or functionality I want won’t be available. For example, their maps app on iOS won’t save locations for me unless I sign in an enable web history tracking. I get prompted every time I try to save a pin as well as every once in a while I’m case I change my mind. It’s a free app and it’s Google’s p…

I think Google Maps not saving your history as you described is an incredibly bad, frustrating experience. FFS, my phone has gigs of RAM, why can’t Google Maps remember the address I searched for ten minutes ago? One minute ago? This is 2019. It has been this bad for a decade plus. Embarrassing IMO and demonstrates true UX myopia and true UX incompetence.

I started using openstreetmap 3 years ago now and I hadn't had to use Google maps since. unfortunately not everyone else might have the same luck. it really depends on whether there are mappers in your area or have been in the past.

only way to know would be to download osmAnd and find out. it's a good all rounder app. for navigation i tend to use maps.me

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#552

Post by pmlnr »

rtkwe wrote: post #467
pmlnr wrote: post #437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eons ago Nokia phones were able to learn "voice commands" tied to certain numbers. This was in the dumbphone era.

My limited interaction with those was that they were pretty universally terrible and would not be acceptable today (and were bad enough to be annoying then even).

Sure, they were. But it was a Symbian, with memory measured in KB, not in GB, CPU in low MHz range, not GHz. I only wanted to point it out that even though it was bad, it was possible, and with phones today, it's not only still possible, but maybe even possible and reasonably good. All that offline, of course.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#554

Post by me_me_me »

saluki wrote: post #115

I was a huge Google Fan but this is becoming lunacy. I understood trading some data and privacy for great search results, maps and free quality email. But people willingly bringing always on listening devices in to their homes (beyond what smartphones are already capable of) I just can't comprehend it. Why would people voluntarily do this in exchange for being able to ask for weather, play a playlist, add a todo and…

> But people willingly bringing always on listening devices in to their homes

Because flying cars. The home assistant is the glimpse of future people looked forward to since first Scifi movies. Its convenient and out of way. And people don't understand nor care about privacy.

That said I am still ranting to my brother that he is using Alexa whenever I visit his home.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#555

Post by wazoox »

mceachen wrote: post #341
TurkishPoptart wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry to break this to you, but I think all photos taken on Android are automatically uploaded to Google Photos regardless

Only if you have Google Photos installed and have configured it up to backup your photos and videos.

Which I obviously didn't do. I only upload manually selected photos to Google Photos, albeit very rarely.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#556

Post by nkrisc »

Clubber wrote: post #433
nkrisc wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm very aware. That's kind of my point.

I'm sure selling data to the NSA, federal, state and local governments is very lucrative to these companies and is a primary revenue stream.

Unlikely, in my opinion. More likely the government can come along with national security letters or other means we might not even be aware of and just take what they need.

On the other hand some companies have been shown to be very willing to sell data to any buyer, not just the government. Phone carriers come to mind.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#557

Post by sc8erboy »

vengefulduck wrote: post #209
mguerville wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had an app that refused to work unless high accuracy location was turned on. There was a location aspect to it but demanding the highest setting of location sharing was vastly overreaching and I just uninstalled the app.

Out of curiosity how did you know the precision of location the app was asking for? If I recall correctly android gives the same permission prompt for fine and course location.

You get asked it you would like to "Improve location accuracy", just after giving location permissions.

http://i.imgur.com/KTkrQvN.png

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#558

Post by username7 »

woodrowbarlow wrote: post #120
kareemm wrote: post #98

Since cameras and mics are embedded in all kinds of consumer devices these days, it makes me think we need a site that recommends devices that DONT include surveillance as a “feature”. Sort of a Wirecutter for privacy. Does this exist?

well it really depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. a laptop running OSS is better than a laptop running win10, but then there's usually still intel ME doing goodness knows what. a phone running sailfish or f-droid is better than OEM android, but there's still your cellular service provider selling location data to goodness knows who. anyway, check out the pinebook (laptop), librem 5 (phone), mycroft…

Yep. Two phones hacked already, could be a us-based three letter or could be something else. Can find the hacking only because of transperancy into some components of the network, but certainly that does not include my phone...

Just another ant on the ant hill, the only difference is that I was able to identify that I had compromised security (with the phone)...

I want to go all the way down the rabbit hole & can hardly wait for the lebrim 5.

“Those that would give up a little liberty for security deserve neither liberty, nor security”- my attitude is those who were spying on me can go screw themselves!

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#559

Post by cptskippy »

teslafanboi22 wrote: post #243
cptskippy wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nest/Google Home devices have a hardware mute button. They are off when they are off. Can you cite where Google says that the mute switch is a hardware kill switch for the mics? I've only read where they say that it doesn't listen but never that it physically disables the mics which means it's done in software and the device could be "muted" and still able to listen. Unless the mute switch is a physical disconnect…

Google it you lazy fuck, yes they repeatedly say it's a hardware disconnect

What terms do I use to find these magical results?

If I google "Google Nest Home Mute Hardware disconnect" for example, none of the results on the first page state it is a hardware disconnect.

The support.google.com links all use vague language that never explicitly says there's a hardware disconnect. Just that the mute switch causes the microphones to be disabled.

Interestingly the last result on first page is this: https://store.google.com/magazine/google_nest_privacy#ada2d2...

And it's claims are known to be false.

> Your device will only send audio to Google if we detect that you or someone in your home is interacting with your Assistant

So I'm genuinely curious where all this information about the mute switch being a physical disconnect for the mics exists.

Re: Google chief: I'd disclose smart speakers before guests enter my home

#560

Post by teslafanboi22 »

cptskippy wrote: post #559
teslafanboi22 wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google it you lazy fuck, yes they repeatedly say it's a hardware disconnect

What terms do I use to find these magical results? If I google "Google Nest Home Mute Hardware disconnect" for example, none of the results on the first page state it is a hardware disconnect. The support.google.com links all use vague language that never explicitly says there's a hardware disconnect. Just that the mute switch causes the microphones to be disabled. Interestingly the last result on first page is this:…

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/8/23/20828854/g...
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