Live data from Hacker News

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

old.reddit.com

261–270 of 381 posts

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

#261
post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> BUT, you must be pretty stupid to send a device away that contains sensitive information. Irrelevant

It is relevant because there's a massive deficit in basic infosec among the populations of the world. Why keep blaming big corporations when we need to get smarter ourselves?

Once you start throwing around terms like "basic infosec", I think you need to recognize that the vast majority of people in the world won't even know what that term means. And shouldn't have to. It's up to us (the more technically-minded people) to protect them by helping to drive change, both in legislation, and technical measures to make it so people don't need to trust these big corporations. That's our failure, though I certainly recognize that this is a difficult thing to do.

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

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If everything is on the SD card (as in: it won't work w/o the card inserted), then it will have to come with a card pre-installed. In that case, the average user won't even realize there's a removable card. It's turtles all the way down.

Well, all the user data, like pictures could be placed on the sd by default.

But if the phone doesn't come with a card pre-installed, people are going to complain that it doesn't work, or that they didn't know they had to purchase a card.

Unless it comes with a card, but the card is not inserted, so the user has to do it before booting up the phone

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

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

NSA agents have to know some secrets, or they can't do their job. Repair techs at Google/Apple/etc do not need to know any secrets in order to do their job.

> Repair techs at Google/Apple/etc do not need to know any secrets in order to do their job. Certainly not state secrets. But they do need to know trade secrets . For example: exact (official) replacement products, procedures, and documentation steps in order to ensure the device doesn't show up as "this is fraudulent or pirated or hacked or modified or whatever the fuck the copyright overlords demand can't be done".

Yeah, but we care a lot a lot less about the company's secrets than customer secrets.

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

#264

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…

There's a difference between victim blaming and protecting oneself against the world. The sad reality is that systems in society don't always work the way they're supposed to, whether that be companies being egregiously unprofessional when working on user's devices, or police showing up to an armed burglary long after the events have transpired and lives were harmed/lost.

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

#265

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 bought 2 "refurbished" Google Assistant smart speakers from Ebay over the last year or so. Bought of them came still logged in to their prior owner's Google accounts. All that was necessary on the part of the refurbishers was to spend a few seconds doing a factory reset (which was the first thing I did at my end), but even that was too much to ask, apparently.

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

#266
post #235

Last time I sent a phone into repair, I wiped and reset it, presumably so that techs could test it properly (broken screen and digitizer). I wish I didn’t have to; but when you’re logged into everything, your bank is there too, and your phone is the second factor in a lot of things, damn it’s too much of a risk. I wish phones could boot into some kind of field tech/diagnostics mode where all aspects of hardware could…

From the original post: "About a month ago my wife broke her pixel phone. It couldn't be turned on so we couldn't wipe it."

Into the shredder it goes

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

#267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do we tend to treat people like they’re asking for it when their nudes get compromised? Because nudity is akin to sex and sexual ways, which are taboo in many societies. Upstanding citizens do not have nudes, in general. Especially women or nudes hinting at same-sex romance. It isn't right, but it is . Edit: I'm not saying I agree with this. But it doesn't take much to see folks putting others down for nudity. YM…

Neither your very strict, seemingly religious-based and ethically dubious idea of an "upstanding citizen", nor anyone else's, should ever justify someone's reputation being irreparably compromised by a professional phone repair person / google employee on the job. Anyway, your comment doesn't seem to have much purpose but to weirdly say "this isn't right, but it actually is right."

I'm not saying I agree with it, but it is an observation. I'm pro nudity, and think it should be normalized. And I'm atheist. And live in Norway, where nudity isn't as big of a deal. I lived the first 30 years of my life in the midwest US, though, in small to medium towns.

But come on, I'm sure you can find examples of folks putting down others for it. It isn't common for politicians to have nudes, at least not in the states. Melania trump had her nudes used against her (put as degrading her character): Janet Jackson had people outraged over a nipple. Facebook doesn't allow nipples. Heck, even further back, I remember folks in high school shaming a singing group (TLC?) for having nudes printed in another country (the cover wasn't even showing breasts as hands covered them).

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

#268
post #252
post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazing how most of the replies of your comment and the other comments too are still victim blaming, not for taking or sharing the nudes but for being so naive to send a phone unwiped. There's no excuse for violating and exposing someone's private life like this, being tech unsavvy (or you know, not being able to wipe a dead phone) is absolutely not an excuse to shift the blame to the victim. We get it you're good, y…

This feels like a limitation of our ability to have constructive conversations online. Someone can be less than perfect and that can cause them to be victimized. We should be able to talk about both aspects of this story, perhaps independently. Some people want to discuss how the offender should be punished, and other people want to discuss how we can behave to prevent being victimized ourselves. I don't think it's v…

Thank you. There's a big difference between "it's your fault you were murdered because you were unarmed" and "carrying a gun would be one potential mitigation for the future", which I think is too often lost in discussions on social media.

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

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if _everything_ is always saved on the card, then you don't need the technical knowledge. Removing the card would leave the phone in a "factory clean" condition.

If everything is on the SD card (as in: it won't work w/o the card inserted), then it will have to come with a card pre-installed. In that case, the average user won't even realize there's a removable card. It's turtles all the way down.

The card could come separately from the phone in the same box. Phone boots up off the OS on internal storage, and the intro wizard says "Now insert your SD card, which is where your personal data will be stored." Done.

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

#270

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…

Let's move this into the physical world. Say I have a bedside table that needs repairs. I send it to a carpenter. If I am fool enough to leave my nude photos in the drawer then I should fully expect the carpenter to have seen them. I'm the fool, he's innocent. If, however, he takes those photos and sends them to a tabloid, now he's the asshole.

If the problem you are having is that the drawer is not opening, how are you going to remove them before the carpenter comes in to get it open?

Or in the phone case: if the phone/screen dies, how can you do anything with it before sending to repair?

Post reply on HN