Gemini being able to read WhatsApp messages (when explicitly asked) and take actions can be convenient. If it does so without prompting or feeds the data back into their model in any way for training - that's a big no.
Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
21–30 of 343 posts
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#22There's a lot of business happening on WhatsApp. I don't think Google cares that much about the messages I sent to my family (although it helps with profiling and ad targetting) but I bet the real money is understanding what people are buying and how they do commerce in WhatsApp.
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#23If you connect Gemini to Assistant, and connect Assistant to Whatsapp, then you have connected Gemini to Whatsapp.
https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9984245?hl=en
Documentation is unclear, but it appears Gemini is always connected to Utilities, and Utilities is always connected to Whatsapp, and the data flow between these apps is not documented.
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#24Choose your own adventure:
1. Security > Privacy > Convenience 2. Security > Convenience > Privacy 3. Privacy > Security > Convenience 4. Privacy > Convenience > Security 5. Convenience > Security > Privacy 6. Convenience > Privacy > Security
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#25These big tech companies are so frustrating. Why does every single aspect of our digital lives need to be monitored? It’s like whack a mole trying to get the most basic of privacy.
Monetization. If people aren’t willing to pay for the products, these companies have figured out how to make the customers’ data the product.
This is a dumb take. They will make money every way they can.
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#26> With Gemini Apps Activity turned off, their Gemini chats are not being reviewed or used to improve our AI models. Indeed bizarre as the statement doesn't say much about data collection or retention. More generally, I'm conflicted here -- I'm big on personal privacy but the power & convenience that AI will bring will probably be too great to overcome. I'm hoping that powerful, locally-run AI models will become a mai…
Maybe at some point, Apple is/was trying to do everything locally but it appears they have recently decided to move away from that idea and use OpenAI. I can understand why: you’re only using locally-run AI models every so often (maybe a few times a day), but when you use it, you still want it to be fast. So it will need to be a pretty heavy AI chip in your phone to be able to deliver that, which spends most of the t…
Google also has AI models optimized to run on phones, they're just in a lot better of a position to actually build purpose-built LLMs for phones.
It's not clear to me why certain classes of things still end up farmed out to the cloud (such as this, or is it?). Maybe their LLM hasn't been built in a very pluggable fashion.
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#27These big tech companies are so frustrating. Why does every single aspect of our digital lives need to be monitored? It’s like whack a mole trying to get the most basic of privacy.
What exactly is being monitored? It looks like this enabled Gemini to send a message via Whatsapp if you ask it to. Maybe the problem is what you consider a privacy violation, other users consider a feature.
RTFA.
Don't act like your opinion is the only one that matters. You may not, but other people do care about their privacy.
"Here's the thing: Google promises that under normal circumstances, Gemini cannot read or summarize your WhatsApp messages. But, and this is a big but, with the "help" of the Google Assistant or the Utilities app, it may view your messages (including images), read and respond to your WhatsApp notifications, and more."
Doesn't matter what your opinion is on privacy, google doesn't give you the option to opt out. - "regardless of whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off."
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#28If you do not like this, file a complaint with your State's AG. I just did that. I do not use WhatsApp, but I have other apps I do not want google to see.
[deleted]
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#29> With Gemini Apps Activity turned off, their Gemini chats are not being reviewed or used to improve our AI models. Indeed bizarre as the statement doesn't say much about data collection or retention. More generally, I'm conflicted here -- I'm big on personal privacy but the power & convenience that AI will bring will probably be too great to overcome. I'm hoping that powerful, locally-run AI models will become a mai…
> the power & convenience that AI will bring will probably be too great to overcome
What is that power? Honest question...
Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages
#30If you do not like this, file a complaint with your State's AG. I just did that. I do not use WhatsApp, but I have other apps I do not want google to see.
Don't use Gemini then, it seems pretty simple
One doesn't even need to have a google account at all if one doesn't want to do business with them