41–50 of 137 posts
Incidentally though they do have some settings you might want to check out though. One in particular let Facebook spy on your other apps so fine tune their ads.
The reality is, if you are a business, Google is your competitor. Which means Google getting a hold of any information about your business should be part of your threat model.
You may not be in Google's sights today, but you very well could be tomorrow. And they will use your usage of their platforms to screw you.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The difference appears to be that by now, everyone is kind of used to this behavior from Google.
True. I also think the techbro meme of “M$ bad, Google good” still has a certain hold on people's minds.
¹Watch out for your privacy, though, if you don't remove Google "services" from your devices.
Android 10 (on googlephones) has a feature called ‘digital wellbeing’ that can measure how much I gawk at the screen, and show that to me. Interesting, I think, let's see if that data stays locally. The only piece of info on data usage that I've found is a link to Google's overarching privacy policy. Oy vey. Some data-processing features in the settings are marked with ‘data stays on the phone’—but this one isn't. So…
Similarly, if you use the default Gboard (keyboard) on Android, it's constantly trying to call home to Google servers, as with most other stock apps.
Android is just increasingly becoming spyware and best route is installing AOSP without GApps. Unfortunately, Google seems to be keen on limiting this behavior and increasing their lock-in with recent changes to Android, making it harder for the open source community to have control over the OS.
Trash all of them and just put GNU/Linux on your devices if you really have to have a smart phone.
What truly flabbergasts me is that businesses today still feel that Google's platforms and services can help their business. The reality is, if you are a business, Google is your competitor . Which means Google getting a hold of any information about your business should be part of your threat model . You may not be in Google's sights today, but you very well could be tomorrow. And they will use your usage of their p…
What truly flabbergasts me is that businesses today still feel that Google's platforms and services can help their business. The reality is, if you are a business, Google is your competitor . Which means Google getting a hold of any information about your business should be part of your threat model . You may not be in Google's sights today, but you very well could be tomorrow. And they will use your usage of their p…
In my direct experience being in SV startups for over 10yrs, this is also true for all major tech companies. They all abuse their platform power to enter into a new market segment. Just a few days ago this journal was published: https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-tech-startup-echo-bezos-...
Unsurprising. Another decade-old example: in the pre-iPhone/pre-Android era, when Google Maps was available on BlackBerry, Google created a vast database that associated cellphone tower locations to addresses, on the (smart) assumption that the “from” location is usually where you are. They used this as a negotiating tactic for acquisitions they made in the space...