There is not a single good “mobile os.” Trash all of them and just put GNU/Linux on your devices if you really have to have a smart phone.
Android run on GNU/Linux, problem is not in the kernel but user land apps will track you
Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
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Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#52>"The API doesn't obtain any information about in-app activity and our collection of this data is disclosed to and controllable by users" Google is excellent at this kind of word maneuver, designed to confuse and mislead. Google gets confronted about an egregious practice, and a PR representative responds with "well, we would absolutely never do [slightly worse unrelated thing]". This happens over and over again. The…
Apple and Microsoft collect the same data (with the same ability to opt out of app usage reporting). Apple is the worst of the three because there is no supported way to install an app on iOS without telling Apple.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#53Android 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…
Their apps require weird/unnecessary permissions. Google Maps now requires access to monitor Physical Activity if you use Location Sharing.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#54Android 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…
> (Btw, another baffling trait of the Android ecosystem is how many well-known and widely-used hackish tools are closed-source: those from XDA and such. “Flash this binary to root your phone”, “install this blob for low-level customizations”. Eeeeh? I think I'll just disable all Google's misfeatures instead, for now.)
It really seems like most of the android developer culture came from the oldschool windows freeware scene, which also has a baffling aversion to publishing source code.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#55Android 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…
The digital wellbeing app is pretty much spyware. If you disable Google Play Service, the Wellbeing app (which cannot be disabled) will constantly complain that it won't work properly... The app has, among other permissions, the requirement to have full network access. 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.…
Google Play Services are the crux of the implementation of core services. If you're not okay with that don't buy the phone or install something else on it.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#56This is the kind of crap that convinced me to switch to Apple handsets back in the day when they were still a pain to use for various reasons (remember upgrading by connecting to iTunes with a cable?). Apple does some shady shady things but not with my privacy. 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 ad…
A solution that doesn't merely change masters but gets rid of them entirely would be to get a phone with LineageOS. When I need a new one, the Lineage supported devices list is the only list I care about.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#57Unsurprising. 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...
How does knowing where you are affect acquisitions? And why wouldn't they know just from talking to the target?
I'm not sure, but I think the OP meant that Google pointed out "we already have this DB, so you're really not worth that much to us" in negotiations with location data vendors.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where are all these numbers coming from? Would you be ok with a publicly broadcasted CCTV in your bedroom, since one in your bathroom would be 1e4 times worse?
No, but broadcasting cctv pointing to the skies above my home would not be a huge issue. Continuing the analogy, in skies broadcasting the issue would be how they could connect to my camera, rather than privacy which is also violated and also a tiny issue. Or another analogy. If Google threatened to blow a nuclear bomb over Manhattan, Google gaining knowledge about competitors would not be an issue. Yeah, Google spyi…
No, but broadcasting cctv pointing to the skies above my home would not be a huge issue.
"Within 38 hours of resuming transmission, the flag was located by a collaboration of 4chan users, who used airplane contrails, flight tracking, celestial navigation, and other techniques to determine that it was located in Greeneville, Tennessee.... after a field at the location was set on fire, the artists were again forced to relocate the project." -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaBeouf,_R%C3%B6nkk%C3%B6_%26_...
And it gets better (at another location): "In the early hours of October 25, 2017, vandals unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to the flag using a flaming drone, before crashing the remotely-piloted aircraft."
Never underestimate how much can be gleaned from leaked information, or the extent to which harm can be done with very little information.
Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps
#59Android 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…
Their apps require weird/unnecessary permissions. Google Maps now requires access to monitor Physical Activity if you use Location Sharing.
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