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Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

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Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#21

Post by throwaway81523 »

VortexDream wrote: post #4

I'm sick of people, so I'm not going to read the inevitable comments that are going to come. Look, face it, some people like taking nude photos of themselves and they like sharing them with their partners. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It's not their fault if something like this happens. People should be able to feel secure in the tech that they use, in the companies that they entrust their information…

Yeah this is yet another reason to want phones to have removable storage (micro sd card). So private photos can go onto the card instead of built-in storage, and you can remove the card if you have to send in the phone.

I don't take nudes but I tend to use my phone as an impromptu photocopier for stuff like bills and receipts, so the photos are full of private info such as account numbers. I worry about that sometimes. For photos that have to be treated with real security (typically the screen of recovery codes when enrolling a 2FA token), I use my old dedicated digital camera which has an SD card, no network connection, and never leaves my bedroom.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#22

Post by BiteCode_dev »

mabbo wrote: post #5
raxxorrax wrote: post #2

Really should think about just paying another few hundred bucks and just keep the device if it contains nude photos of your wife which you cannot wipe. Don't send that device anywhere... Provided this story is true, I would guess the device might never have reached Google and it might have been stolen on the way there. Don't know what that would mean for liability.

Seriously? You're blaming the victim?

It's not blame, it's advice.

Advice that is strongly needed, because most people think "they have nothing to hide" until they discover than:

- they do

- they can't

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#23

Post by throwaway81523 »

dandare wrote: post #12

How do you disable your old phones especially those those that do not work (due to shattered screen mostly) before giving them up for recycling or buyback? I am always worried someone will fix and misuse my old phone.

I wonder if there is a way to connect to it through usb in order to wipe it.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#24

Post by duxup »

throwaway81523 wrote: post #21
VortexDream wrote: post #4

I'm sick of people, so I'm not going to read the inevitable comments that are going to come. Look, face it, some people like taking nude photos of themselves and they like sharing them with their partners. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It's not their fault if something like this happens. People should be able to feel secure in the tech that they use, in the companies that they entrust their information…

Yeah this is yet another reason to want phones to have removable storage (micro sd card). So private photos can go onto the card instead of built-in storage, and you can remove the card if you have to send in the phone. I don't take nudes but I tend to use my phone as an impromptu photocopier for stuff like bills and receipts, so the photos are full of private info such as account numbers. I worry about that sometime…

I feel like removable SD card is a tech person solution but ... kinda doesn't solve it for a lot of folks.

Most folks are just going to take nudes and not strategize much and expect them to remain private as part of the typical photo taking and sharing workflow.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#25

Post by philosopher1234 »

rconti wrote: post #18
beervirus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not the victim’s fault. But still… it’s only prudent to take precautions.

Taking precautions is what you do (in this case, if you can afford to do so) in order to prevent bad things happening to you. It is NOT what you do in order to determine fault if a bad thing DOES happen.

I don't see a contradiction here. It's terrible that Google allowed this to happen, and the individuals responsible should be held to account. Also, it is a good idea to be very protective of nude photos. I found the original comment useful for thinking about how I could avoid this situation personally.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#27

Post by floatingatoll »

beervirus wrote: post #7
mabbo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously? You're blaming the victim?

It’s not the victim’s fault. But still… it’s only prudent to take precautions.

Prudence is certainly a choice one can make, but in no way should it be recommended or required.

Google is supposed to be trusted with the world's emails, photos, and other Android data backups. If it is necessary to take precautions against Google misusing data, then that cuts to the heart of their business model, and is a material threat to consumers that they should be informed about.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#28

Post by vmception »

encryptluks2 wrote: post #10

Not here to victim blame, but just point out some things to help others in the future. 1. Use a password and encryption 2. If you can still turn on the device, wipe it before you send it off for an RMA. 3. If you can't access the device, login to your account online and remove access to it. You should do this even after you wipe it. 4. Save everything sensitive on removable storage medium by default.

These guys sent it in for RMA because it couldn't be turned on

Also the photos were in the google account so none of this advice would have mattered anyway aside from the advice #4 about not doing it, which is moot. They and many people probably auto backup all photos on the device to the google account. Not sure if there is a way to distinguish which photos are too sensitive for online backup with that service.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#29

Post by MarkusWandel »

dandare wrote: post #12

How do you disable your old phones especially those those that do not work (due to shattered screen mostly) before giving them up for recycling or buyback? I am always worried someone will fix and misuse my old phone.

In 2 of 2 of cases where I've used krazy-glue to try to fix something in an electronic gadget, the stuff wicked into a connector and ruined the device. So I dare say, if the phone isn't the waterproof type, just dribble some of that stuff in there e.g. through the SIM drawer slot and bye bye.

I usually terminate truly obsolete gadgets that could still contain recoverable login information etc. by physically destroying the motherboard, e.g. by drilling into it or prying off the flash chip. But for non-removable battery types that's iffy; what if you short out the battery and cause it to catch fire? I've just recently found a usable charge a 2012 vintage LiPo battery that came with a robot kit that hadn't been built in all those years.

Re: Pixel sent to Google for replacement. They used it to post wife's nudes online

#30

Post by kingcharles »

betwixthewires wrote: post #19

I've worked in these contract cellphone repair/refurbishment facilities many years ago, the big warehouses where telecoms and manufacturers send these warranty phones to be triaged and repaired, and let me tell you, something like this is not surprising at all. Most of the people there did good work, but all it takes is one. Personally I'd never send my phone in to repair, and I'm skittish about buying any refurbishe…

I had to buy dozens of old phones on eBay once for testing a new SMS product and I can tell you that most of the phones were not wiped and lots had naughty photos and videos still on them :|
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