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Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

theregister.com

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Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#141

Post by salawat »

izacus wrote: post #15

> Under active use, Android devices transfer about 11.6MB of data to Google servers daily, or 350MB per month, it's claimed, which is about half the amount transferred by an iPhone. Interesting, so 350MB of data per month is abuse, iPhones 175MB per month isn't. I guess Google now has to half their data use for it to be at parity with Apple and we're all fine?

Realistically, expect innovation in the compression algorithm space as research shifts to communicating as much information with as few bits of user signalling as possible. Possibly innovation in encoding or extra contracts that make it possible for information to be encoded through background cell tower/wifi network traffic.

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#142

Post by smt88 »

luord wrote: post #93

Between this and Jeffrey Paul's article shared yesterday about Big Sur and Apple Silicon[1], it's becoming increasingly tempting to throw my phone away and keep using only Linux with no applications primarily developed by these giants (i.e. no Chromium, etc). Supporting initiatives like the Librem phone is also moving up in my list of priorities, once I get enough money to spare at least. [1]: https://news.ycombinato…

What about LineageOS with a non-Google app store?

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#143

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

wegs wrote: post #97
skizm wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lawyers just bring up class action lawsuits to skim money off the payout. The individual payouts are usually so small barely anyone goes through the hassle of claiming them. The one positive is, at least it’s a small slap on the wrist for bad corporate behavior, but I doubt any company actually will change their behavior because of it.

No, companies do change behavior. The public interest argument is: 1) Companies can make a lot of money skimming $1 each off of 100 million people. 2) Federal enforcement agencies don't have time or energy for that. We can outsource that to private firms 3) Private law firms can file class action suits, and companies are forced into agreements where they pay damages AND often need to change behavior It kinda sorta wo…

That's a pretty good synopsis.

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#144

Post by peteradio »

jsjohnst wrote: post #104
peteradio wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should be illegal to allow a consumer to click "terms and conditions" have been read in a super-human period of time.

Even if you actually forced a customer to read the T&C’s somehow (rather than just annoying them with a forced delay), do you think the average consumer would understand what it means and what trade offs they are making? The “solution” isn’t forced legaleze on customers, it’s more “do what’s in the customer’s best interest” not “do whatever you can legally get away with to make the most money off them”.

No not really, but if there is a 1 hr delay because of onerous terms and conditions then perhaps a person would think twice about what they are getting in to. Or if there was a 5 minute delay to read a single paragraph perhaps people may actually read it.

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#145

Post by dogma1138 »

t0astbread wrote: post #125
dogma1138 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux high end phones will never be a reality, at least not what people here would consider Linux at best you’ll get is Android or Android like OS. Other than that you’ll get low volume low end devices at high end or higher prices due to lack of economy of scale. What most consumers actually want and I’ll put in that list also many many people that say they want a “Linux Phone” but in reality will go back to their iP…

I guess what people want when they say they want a "Linux phone" is a phone that allows them to hack, mix and match their system the way they can on a desktop Linux system.

They can do that with many Android phones it’s not hard to find ones with a boot loader you can open including the Google Pixel.

I used Android from day one till the LG Nexus and I switched to an iPhone after having to spend yet another weekend compiling a kernel to update my phone.

Most people want a device that “just works”.

Overall I would be good money on the fact that the percentage of people that say they want to be able to hack their phone freely and will actually do so is very slim because again Android gives you 90% if not more of that freedom already and some devices even can boot other OSes.

Sure things like the blobs on the baseband are still closed but that will always be the case no one realistically is expecting a high end 100% open source phone, and if you are keep dreaming.

And yes while having a phone that just works and one that is open isn’t mutually exclusive in principal but it is in practice especially once you account for economics.

Like it or not securing an open system is harder, and companies don’t like investing time and money developing features hardly anyone will use.

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#146

Post by dingaling »

jhasse wrote: post #65
indymike wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows mobile wasn't going to change the world. That said, I'd love to see a real alternative to iOS and Android if for no reason than my phone is a very powerful, very real computer and I can't use it as such.

https://e.foundation

That's a fork of LineageOS so you're still using Android

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#147

Post by asutekku »

PersonalOps wrote: post #99
asutekku wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The least they can do is to not load ads on the background. Sure, almost every device does some basic telemetry but showing ads is not something a device does need to function.

Telemetry is not something the device needs to function either. It's a "value add" in the best possible light, security breach in the worst.

Telemetry at least is useful for the developers to see how people use their software/devices/whatever.

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#148

Post by dogma1138 »

Silhouette wrote: post #126
dogma1138 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux high end phones will never be a reality, at least not what people here would consider Linux at best you’ll get is Android or Android like OS. Other than that you’ll get low volume low end devices at high end or higher prices due to lack of economy of scale. What most consumers actually want and I’ll put in that list also many many people that say they want a “Linux Phone” but in reality will go back to their iP…

Usually I'm a sceptic about Linux taking over the world, but this is actually the one situation where I could believe substantial progress might be made. If someone developed a slick UI for the basic phone functionality and a genuinely open Linux-based platform, provided compatibility with the major APIs needed to write Android apps so portability was easy, and maybe even funded the whole thing using an app store tha…

At that point what’s the difference between this and Android, unlock your bootloader, download AOSP and hack away...

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#149

Post by nitrogen »

dogma1138 wrote: post #103
deeter72 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally feel like, Apple is the best choice for the time being until actual daily usable Linux high end phones are a reality. Apple although has highly monopolistic practices are privacy oriented and are interested on just selling the physical device.

Linux high end phones will never be a reality, at least not what people here would consider Linux at best you’ll get is Android or Android like OS. Other than that you’ll get low volume low end devices at high end or higher prices due to lack of economy of scale. What most consumers actually want and I’ll put in that list also many many people that say they want a “Linux Phone” but in reality will go back to their iP…

What I want is a Maemo-based phone, with at least 20% marketshare and an Android compat layer so there is an ecosystem to support it, and the same camera as any other flagship level phone.

Re: Google sued: Idle Android eats mobile data to send telemetry and preload ads

#150

Post by BlueTemplar »

chrisseaton wrote: post #115
BlueTemplar wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which 'ours' ? Cheaper compared to the income & cost of life ? With the median world income being $30/month, I doubt so !

> With the median world income being $30/month, I doubt so ! First of all, this isn't even true - it's around $240/month. https://news.gallup.com/poll/166211/worldwide-median-househo... Second, people living in those countries aren't buying US data plans at US prices are they? You don't live in the Congo but shop for your data plan at a California strip-mall, do you?

Oh, right, I confused median with '1 dollar per day' extreme poverty line :

https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty

Which should be around 5% these days.

> Second, people living in those countries aren't buying US data plans at US prices are they? You don't live in the Congo but shop for your data plan at a California strip-mall, do you?

Ok, so what are these prices ?

https://www.cellularabroad.com/packages-congo.html#tabs-2

That's $100/Go for 3G. (Which is still 10 times cheaper than my first data plan !) But I suspect that this website is directed to rich westerners, anyone from third world countries here that might shine a light on this issue ?

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