11h ago

A new Android feature is scanning your photos for 'sensitive content' - how to stop it

www.zdnet.com A new Android feature is scanning your photos for 'sensitive content' - how to stop it

Google didn't tell Android users much about Android System SafetyCore before it hit their phones, and people are unhappy. Fortunately, you're not stuck with it.

14 comments

Wait, I just got my mom an S25 and this def isn't on it (nor is it on my phone.
... is it Play Store that installs it (starts the download and install process I mean, not actually "installs" it)?
So if Play Store is disabled while Play services are still enabled you don't get this app auto-shoved up your device?
\ That's nice.
\ (Or is it a regional thing and EU isn't on the shitlist yet?)

Remember Google's motto about how it tries to be evil or something like that.
- Stride to always do the moist evil as it will usually correlate with profit & power. If faced with two equally evil options, select the shadier one. And always ask how to make it even more evil & shadier with each iteration.
  \ your generic* MegaCorp
  *but all of them

I feel like clicking that link would make it super evident that you have 'sensitive content' to hide.
- I already removed it a couple of weeks ago, because:
  Get the fuck out of my phone you trash panda of a software company.
  You're not wasting my battery power, my network, and my cellular data, just to fulfill some spy crap.
  Don't change things on my phone without my consent, same reason I left Windows, odd parallels there too...without consent...
  But mostly, this tech isn't just about detecting bad photos. This tech can be targeted on any kind of photo.
  The same issues popped up when Apple said they were going to put such scanners in iOS and received blowback (as to if they did or not though, I have a screenshot I'm trying to find of an image scanner running sometime late last year to do some deep diving, but I've not found it yet.)
  It is basically the classic government overreach trope done by a corporation. "For the children!"
  Steps:
  Find an excuse to put something bad in machines under the guise of some protected class everyone agrees should be protected.
  Wait until it is normalized and people don't think about it anymore.
  Reconfigure it to hunt for what you want on demand.
  Want to find out who all has been to a recent protest? Configure the image scanner to return pings from protest signs.
  Looking for people that have been around a particular "person of interest"? Send out a query to receive pings back where that person's face was detected in their photos.
  Looking for people of a certain race in a certain geolocation? Send out a query for certain skin colors in recent photos and wait for those pings back, with GPS geotags, of course.
  They don't even need the photo, just "evidence" to start going after people and "detaining" them.
  This. Shit. Is. Pure. Evil.
  
  Thx and yes to all ... but pls don't use such cute names for the evilest things out there. Raccoons are way too cute to be mentioned in the eldritch-type evil category with Alphabet.
- This is why it's important to click on everything.
  If you looked up instructions on how to make a bomb, but also on how to defuse a bomb, they will never know what your real motive is.
- It detects nudes, and a lot of people will have nudes on their devices.
  The steps from the article:
  So, if you wish to uninstall or disable SafetyCore, take these steps:
  Open Settings: Go to your device's Settings app
  Access Apps: Tap on 'Apps' or 'Apps & Notifications'
  Show System Apps: Select 'See all apps' and then tap on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner to choose 'Show system apps'
  Locate SafetyCore: Scroll through the list or search for 'SafetyCore' to find the app
  Uninstall or Disable: Tap on Android System SafetyCore, then select 'Uninstall' if available. If the uninstall option is grayed out, you may only be able to disable it
  Manage Permissions: If you choose not to uninstall the service, you can also check and try to revoke any SafetyCore permissions, especially internet access
  However, some have reported that SafetyCore reinstalled itself during system updates or through Google Play Services, even after uninstalling the service. If this happens, you'll need to uninstall SafetyCore again, which is annoying.
  
  SafetyCore reinstalled itself during system updates or through Google Play Services
  Big tech is essentially ran by rapists

All of this happens on-device to protect your privacy and keep end-to-end encrypted message content private to only sender and recipient. Sensitive Content Warnings doesn’t allow Google access to the contents of your images, nor does Google know that nudity may have been detected. This feature is opt-in for adults, managed via Android Settings, and is opt-out for users under 18 years of age. Sensitive Content Warnings will be rolling out to Android 9+ devices including Android Go devices3 with Google Messages in the coming months.
Y'all need to chill some times
- If I told you that I will give you free candy if you get into the back of my white van, would you do it?
  The software is closed source, and Google has got a bad record of privacy. You really think that they won't do it another time?
  
  If you're trying to think through it, you've got to think about incentives. Google is in the ads business. They have no reason to want your nudes. It doesn't help them sell anything to you
  
  Well by that logic using anything Google has ever touched would be insanely out of the question, rendering this article and thread a moot point. I get that this feature sounds sketchy but at some point paranoia should lead you to another platform rather than speculating about something just because it was brought to your attention.

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