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Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

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Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#261

Post by averageRoyalty »

kstrauser wrote: post #236
LeoPanthera wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You really meant to send that I love you to Louis coworker, right? Not to "Love"? Too late Why make up stuff like this? Siri confirms everything that sends data.

That's not quite true, especially if you're using something like CarPlay. I have personally had this interaction: Me: Hey Siri, text Jen [my wife] I love you. Siri: OK, texting Johnny Chan [my ex-boss] I love you. Me: What NO! Johnny: Uh... That happened. It's not something I read about or made up. It went pretty much exactly like that.

This is a setting under Settings > Siri & Search > Automatically send messages.

It's disabled by default, but it's possible you turned it on by accident or got a bad default setting I suppose.

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#263

Post by windexh8er »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #180
lern_too_spel wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google needs to not be abusing its position as the source of the OS to give its software special privilege to reach inside of third-party apps Gemini uses the same APIs and permissions as any other Android app.

This is trivial to verify. Just look at the permissions requested by the Google app like I did.

Even given all of the historical abuses of Google on Android you still believe an app permission is acting in good faith when Google has hooks elsewhere into the OS?

Google has already been successfully sued this year in CA for siphoning off data from phones that are idle and the remainder of states is in process [0].

[0] https://www.androidauthority.com/google-314-million-verdict-...

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#264

Post by jazzyjackson »

bix6 wrote: post #163
SoftTalker wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it pretty easy. I don't have WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, LinkIn, or anything else really besides a few forum memberships like the one here.

Your ISP and device manufacturers are still tracking you though?

my telecom pinging my device (Sonim flip phone) location is quite different than my personality and political views being widely scrapeable.

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#265

Post by callmeal »

GiorgioG wrote: post #12
bix6 wrote: post #7

These 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.

> If people aren’t willing to pay for the products, these companies have figured out how to make the customers’ data the product.

This happens even when people pay for the products. See for instance the enshittification of streaming "ad free" services.

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#266

Post by jazzyjackson »

surgical_fire wrote: post #227
fsflover wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We need a mobile OS competitor. Mobian, PureOS, postmarketOS exist.

Yes, I have an older phone running LineageOS for that matter. But those are typically community efforts, so software support is not certain. It sucks when so many things just expect you to have a working cell phone.

Punkt has a phonen using a fork of grapheneos out of switzerland with some cloud services like VPN attached to make it a completely degoogled 'secure phone', called ApostrophyOS

https://mc02.punkt.ch/en/mc02-5g-secure-phone/

https://www.apostrophy.ch/

Can't vouche for it, I just use a flip phone.

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#267

Post by callmeal »

Matthias247 wrote: post #154

How does it work technically? Does Whatsapp expose these messages via an API? If yes, then it seems like this is not only on Google. If no: Are they reading data from raw UI widgets? Are they intercepting input controls? Are they intercepting network traffic? That seems unlikely, given its probably end to end encrypted and the decryption happens within the scope of the Whatsapp process.

>Does Whatsapp expose these messages via an API?

Whatsapp has dark patterns that "guide" you to "archive" your chats on google drive.

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#268

Post by callmeal »

morsch wrote: post #262
DLoupe wrote: post #260

If you use Google to backup your WhatsApp chats (most people do), Google can already read your messages, because the backup is not encrypted.

I think this hasn't been true for a couple of years now https://faq.whatsapp.com/490592613091019

Encrypted backups are "off" by default and need to be explicity turned on.

Re: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

#270

Post by fsflover »

gessha wrote: post #258
surgical_fire wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I have an older phone running LineageOS for that matter. But those are typically community efforts, so software support is not certain. It sucks when so many things just expect you to have a working cell phone.

What company will jump in the competition meat grinder between Google and Apple. Maybe if it’s state-sponsored. I don’t know how much HarmonyOS/Huawei are state-sponsored so I can’t claim there are.

> What company will jump in the competition meat grinder between Google and Apple

Purism did. My Librem 5 works remarkably well given how small the company is.

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