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Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

arstechnica.com

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Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#111

Post by mav3rick »

propogandist wrote: post #81
mav3rick wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This is a weak argument to defend your employer. I'll use a version of AOSP without the data harvesting spyware baked in, although Google seems to be keen on shutting aspects of it down.

You have the option to do AOSP at least. What do you have with Apple ? Why don't you apply the same yardstick to them ? Can you flash your own bits on an iPhone ?

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#112

Post by jevgeni »

fierarul wrote: post #95
jevgeni wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn’t HN collectively loose their s..t when Microsoft did something similar with Win 10 telemetry?

Microsoft did and continues doing that, correct? I don't remember any article on them stopping that or even explain what telemetry contains.

There is no suggestion that Google stopped said practice as well. But the indignation on HN (at least) is usually left for anything but Google.

You can see what information (broadly) Microsoft collects through Windows 10 in the opt-in screen for telemetry. More detailed information has been published here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/required-wi...

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#113

Post by jevgeni »

fierarul wrote: post #96
jevgeni wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True. I also think the techbro meme of “M$ bad, Google good” still has a certain hold on people's minds.

On the contrary, the current tech bro pretty much loves Microsoft ever since the cool CEO took over and deeply distrusts Google.

I'd bet it has less to do with the cool CEO and more with the plethora of useful devtools and tech released by Microsoft lately.

Also, being able to reach a person on the phone regarding my Azure billing was radically different to being in contact (or lack thereof) with Google.

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#114

Post by matthewfcarlson »

fierarul wrote: post #95
jevgeni wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn’t HN collectively loose their s..t when Microsoft did something similar with Win 10 telemetry?

Microsoft did and continues doing that, correct? I don't remember any article on them stopping that or even explain what telemetry contains.

They still do collect telemetry, but they've gone to great lengths to implement GDPR for everyone instead of just the EU. I do like that they provide a viewer to see exactly what is getting uploaded and offered easy ways to adjust how much data does get uploaded.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/diagnostic-data-viewer/9n8...

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#115

Post by rhizome »

mav3rick wrote: post #55
propogandist wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Google Play Services (GPS, what a 'we can talk about it at Starbucks' coincidence) is the name given to the collection of core services, plural. Gboard phoning home, core service. Offline Maps limitations, core service. Digital Wellbeing, core service. So on and so forth.

You can say that "core services" is "the important stuff," or you can look at the individual pieces that comprise "core services" and get some insight into Google's business rules for Android. Everything that can't be disabled indicates a GOOG business requirement.

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#116

Post by jariel »

aasasd wrote: post #21

Android 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…

‘digital wellbeing’

This has such an Orwellian tinge to it.

This is the Western version of CCP controls, the means just take another form. I don't imply the two are in the same category and therefore it's not equivalent, but within the constraints Google has ... this is what it looks like.

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#117

Post by Ericson2314 »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #109
euix wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't the latest version of Mate 30 come on stock android since Google products cannot be factory installed due the export laws? In which case if you still don't feel safe you can wipe the device and install Lineage.

Wiping won't help if the hardware itself is compromised. Which is not totally implausible.

Honestly, super secrete compromised hardware probably exfiltrates less bandwidth than Google's not-even-secret stuff.

Do you want Google to know your soul by 2025 or the CPP by 2040? :D

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#118

Post by throwaway2048 »

tdeck wrote: post #88
jstanley wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Call me old-fashioned, but if anybody knows when or how often I'm executing a particular program on my own hardware, that is a privacy issue.

I'm not familiar with the details, but it's very likely these data are k-anonymized and sampled to make it impossible to identify a particular person.

according to who? that's a massive unwarranted assumption.

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#119

Post by userbinator »

aasasd wrote: post #21

Android 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.

It's closer to the Windows cracking scene and such, where the expectation is that if you don't trust something, you either don't use it or disassemble and analyse it yourself. After all, a lot of app modding is done using decompilers.

Re: Google reportedly peeks into Android data to gain edge over third-party apps

#120

Post by userbinator »

throwaway189262 wrote: post #66

We desperately need a standardized open source phone. The raspberry pi of phones. Linux may be a better platform than AOSP. Android and iOS were designed for control first. Control over apps, control over the store, over what users are allowed to do. If you don't need any of that to make money why not run a regular Linux distro. Opens source phones will never be mainstream. Same as desktop Linux. But it would be nice…

open source phone. The raspberry pi of phones

I don't think an ecosystem based around SoCs from a notoriously proprietary and open-source-unfriendly company is at all a good model of an "open source phone".

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