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Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

arstechnica.com

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Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#31

Post by nix23 »

toastal wrote: post #30
jqpabc123 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need to pay double or triple for hardware. There are lots of privacy focused alternatives that are Android based. Personally, I like e/OS: https://e.foundation/ You can buy a ready to use phone on their web site or you can install the OS on a compatible phone of your own. I have installed this on about 10 phones (all Motorola) for friends and family. Here is an example of one that I just put together as a Christma…

Can any of these privacy-oriented forks support a device from within the last two years with a headphone jack?

I have the fairphone 4 with divestOS:

https://shop.fairphone.com/

https://divestos.org/pages/devices#device-fp4

Super happy with it, but yeah no headphone jack, but i have it with the usb-c convertor.

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#32

Post by jqpabc123 »

toastal wrote: post #30
jqpabc123 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need to pay double or triple for hardware. There are lots of privacy focused alternatives that are Android based. Personally, I like e/OS: https://e.foundation/ You can buy a ready to use phone on their web site or you can install the OS on a compatible phone of your own. I have installed this on about 10 phones (all Motorola) for friends and family. Here is an example of one that I just put together as a Christma…

Can any of these privacy-oriented forks support a device from within the last two years with a headphone jack?

Take a look at my Amazon link above. This is a 5G "daily driver" from 2021 with a headphone jack, 6/128 GB and a big 5000mAH battery.

It's everything that the average Joe really needs for only $99 refurbed. As I said above, I just installed e/OS on one as a Christmas present. It runs very smooth and fluid, better than stock because the background Google spyware crap is gone.

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#33

Post by quanticle »

duringmath wrote: post #2

I don't know why the Ars Google guy is so hostile toward the company but good grief! Every other outlet "google releasing their version of Apple's ATT" Ars Technica guy "Google will watch you while you sleep"

I agree that Ars Technica has an anti-Google stance, but in this case, it seems to be accurate, so I'm not sure what the problem is. The "privacy sandbox" on Android is opt-in… on the part of app developers, not users. If app developers want to track users with cookies and device IDs, they can still do that. It's not anything like what iOS does, where tracking is disabled unless the user opts in.

So yes, while the Ars Technica headline may be a bit hyperbolic, I think it's far closer to the truth than a headline which claims that Privacy Sandbox is comparable to ATT.

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#34

Post by euix »

I have been using LineageOS on old Pixels/LG phones for over a year and half now. So far no real problems and it is hella lot faster then the stock Android they came with. I find my needs really just sit between a dumb phone and all the gadgets and software of the latest smartphones - if it can call, run a chat messenger, snap an occasional photo that's really about it.

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#35

Post by seanhunter »

throwaway2056 wrote: post #3
duringmath wrote: post #2

I don't know why the Ars Google guy is so hostile toward the company but good grief! Every other outlet "google releasing their version of Apple's ATT" Ars Technica guy "Google will watch you while you sleep"

Sure the criticism about Privacy Sandbox is valid. News journalists should dog food Firefox (to encourage end users) and then avoid Chrome. (i.e) they make sure the webpages work great with Firefox. Usually everything works better with Chrome. The reason for the give would be sorry... Our livelihood depends on tracking/ads etc. Oh BTW, I (as a journalist ) am all for privacy but my corporate overlord (CondeNast incas…

Firstly, journalists are not for the most part going to be the people designing the webpages. They will submit copy to some kind of CMS. So if a site isn't working well on Firefox/mobile/whatever it's generally not going to be the journo who is to blame it will be their designers probably. The exception to this would be small one-person type outfits but those are mostly on substack these days rather than running their own site.

Secondly Ars Technica works completely fine for me on Firefox. I say that as someone who exclusively uses firefox and only ever breaks out chrome to debug compatibility issues and I can't recall ever having a problem with Ars Technica. Are you saying it doesn't work for you?

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#36

Post by GeekyBear »

jqpabc123 wrote: post #26
shmapf wrote: post #23

I've been staunchly on the Android side of the Android / iOS question, but this carry-on with refusing to block tracking like Apple has done is really making me consider switching.

No need to pay double or triple for hardware. There are lots of privacy focused alternatives that are Android based. Personally, I like e/OS: https://e.foundation/ You can buy a ready to use phone on their web site or you can install the OS on a compatible phone of your own. I have installed this on about 10 phones (all Motorola) for friends and family. Here is an example of one that I just put together as a Christma…

> the Google Play store doesn't work but that's no big loss

It's the loss of an entire ecosystem worth of apps.

If you want an inexpensive phone that will get five or six years of first party support with security updates after that, go with an iPhone SE.

The original $399 version got six years of OS updates and just got another security update last month. That's $67 per year that got both an OS update and security update.

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#38

Post by jqpabc123 »

GeekyBear wrote: post #36
jqpabc123 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need to pay double or triple for hardware. There are lots of privacy focused alternatives that are Android based. Personally, I like e/OS: https://e.foundation/ You can buy a ready to use phone on their web site or you can install the OS on a compatible phone of your own. I have installed this on about 10 phones (all Motorola) for friends and family. Here is an example of one that I just put together as a Christma…

> the Google Play store doesn't work but that's no big loss It's the loss of an entire ecosystem worth of apps. If you want an inexpensive phone that will get five or six years of first party support with security updates after that, go with an iPhone SE. The original $399 version got six years of OS updates and just got another security update last month. That's $67 per year that got both an OS update and security u…

It's the loss of an entire ecosystem worth of apps.

No, it's not. With very few exceptions, the Aurora store pulls apps from Google Play. About the only thing I have seen missing from Aurora store is a few super strict banking apps but you can usually just use their web site.

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#39

Post by danjoredd »

jszymborski wrote: post #37

Nonsense like this makes me happy to be on GrapheneOS.

I recently switched to that myself. Tired of Google not respecting our private lives and wanting to know every single action we take. Wish it worked on more phones than just the Pixel line so more people could use it

Re: Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta

#40

Post by jfghi »

danjoredd wrote: post #39
jszymborski wrote: post #37

Nonsense like this makes me happy to be on GrapheneOS.

I recently switched to that myself. Tired of Google not respecting our private lives and wanting to know every single action we take. Wish it worked on more phones than just the Pixel line so more people could use it

Further, I’m amazed at the level of irrelevancy of their ads. I can’t think of a single purchase I’ve made or will make that corresponds to an ad I’ve seen on YouTube.
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