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Google’s ‘Secret’ Update Scans All Your Photos (www.forbes.com)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Per one tech forum this week: “Google has quietly installed an app on all Android devices called ‘Android System SafetyCore’. It claims to be a ‘security’ application, but whilst running in the background, it collects call logs, contacts, location, your microphone, and much more making this application ‘spyware’ and a HUGE privacy concern. It is strongly advised to uninstall this program if you can. To do this, navigate to 'Settings’ > 'Apps’, then delete the application.”

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[-] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

What about the "Android System Intelligence" app that someone else mentioned here? I just realized I have that one. It sounds like it has the capabilities to spy and maybe even more.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Here's a link to it in PlayStore. It mentions some of the features it is a dependency for.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

I saw that, that's what I meant by "it sounds like it has the capabilities to spy", something that can do all those things must have lots of access and could provide perfect cover for any number of undesirable processes.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Well yeah, any part of the os has the capability to spy.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

What do you mean by that? What I meant is that the functions, capabilities, and permissions it has could enable it to do so.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yeah, so do the rest of the system apps, and the OS itself. Why is everyone freaking out about this one all of a sudden? If you don't trust the Google software running on your phone, you shouldn't be using it in the first place.

this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025

1033 points (96.7% liked)

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