Google’s ‘Secret’ Update Scans All Your Photos—One Click Stops It
www.forbes.com
AI now monitors your photos without warning.

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.”

    • kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      26·
      6 hours ago

      To quote the most salient post

      The app doesn’t provide client-side scanning used to report things to Google or anyone else. It provides on-device machine learning models usable by applications to classify content as being spam, scams, malware, etc. This allows apps to check content locally without sharing it with a service and mark it with warnings for users.

      Which is a sorely needed feature to tackle problems like SMS scams

      • throwback3090@lemmy.nzEnglish
        92·
        4 hours ago

        Why do you need machine learning for detecting scams?

        Is someone in 2025 trying to help you out of the goodness of their heart? No. Move on.

      • desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        6·
        5 hours ago

        if the cellular carriers were forced to verify that caller-ID (or SMS equivalent) was accurate SMS scams would disappear (or at least be weaker). Google shouldn’t have to do the job of the carriers, and if they wanted to implement this anyway they should let the user choose what service they want to perform the task similar to how they let the user choose which “Android system WebView” should be used.

    • throwback3090@lemmy.nzEnglish
      38·
      4 hours ago

      graphene folks have a real love for the word misinformation (and FUD, and brigading). That’s not you under there👻, Daniel, is it?

      After 5 years of his antics hateful bullshit lies, I think I can genuinely say that word triggers me.

      • loics2@lemm.eeEnglish
        3·
        1 hour ago

        Have you even read the article you posted? It mentions these posts by GrapheneOS

      • teohhanhui@lemmy.worldEnglish
        82·
        6 hours ago

        Please, read the links. They are the security and privacy experts when it comes to Android. That’s their explanation of what this Android System SafetyCore actually is.

    • dan@upvote.auEnglish
      4·
      8 hours ago

      So is this really just a local AI model? Or is it something bigger? My S25 Ultra has the app but it hasn’t used any battery or data.

      • Auli@lemmy.caEnglish
        11·
        5 hours ago

        I mean the grapheneos devs say it is. Are they going to lie.

        • throwback3090@lemmy.nzEnglish
          41·
          4 hours ago

          Yes, absolutely, and regularly, and without shame.

          But not usually about technical stuff.