this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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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] 13 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Is there any indication that Apple is truly more secure and privacy conscious over Android? Im kinda tired of Google and their oversteps.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

This is the stupidest shit, moral panic levels of miscomprehension. I mean, I was miffed and promptly removed safetycore because I don't mind seeing sex organs and don't want shit using battery for no reason, but wow ~~Forbes~~.

Edit: ok, the article is not so bad, just the shitty blurb from some forum reproduced here on Lemmy.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Kind of weird that they are installing this dependency whether you will enable those planned scanning features or not. Here is an article mentioning that future feature Sensitive Content Warnings. It does sound kind of cool, less chance to accidentally send your dick pic to someone I guess.

Sensitive Content Warnings is an optional feature that blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing, and then prompts with a “speed bump” that contains help-finding resources and options, including to view the content. When the feature is enabled, and an image that may contain nudity is about to be sent or forwarded, it also provides a speed bump to remind users of the risks of sending nude imagery and preventing accidental shares.

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.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

I'd that what's killing my fucking battery like crazy lately?

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

More information: It's been rolling out to Android 9+ users since November 2024 as a high priority update. Some users are reporting it installs when on battery and off wifi, unlike most apps.

App description on Play store: SafetyCore is a Google system service for Android 9+ devices. It provides the underlying technology for features like the upcoming Sensitive Content Warnings feature in Google Messages that helps users protect themselves when receiving potentially unwanted content. While SafetyCore started rolling out last year, the Sensitive Content Warnings feature in Google Messages is a separate, optional feature and will begin its gradual rollout in 2025. The processing for the Sensitive Content Warnings feature is done on-device and all of the images or specific results and warnings are private to the user.

Description by google Sensitive Content Warnings is an optional feature that blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing, and then prompts with a “speed bump” that contains help-finding resources and options, including to view the content. When the feature is enabled, and an image that may contain nudity is about to be sent or forwarded, it also provides a speed bump to remind users of the risks of sending nude imagery and preventing accidental shares. - https://9to5google.com/android-safetycore-app-what-is-it/

So looks like something that sends pictures from your messages (at least initially) to Google for an AI to check whether they're "sensitive". The app is 44mb, so too small to contain a useful ai and I don't think this could happen on-phone, so it must require sending your on-phone data to Google?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

What a pile of fuck.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (12 children)

It didn't appear in my apps list so I thought it wasn't installed. But when I searched for the app name it appears. So be aware.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

laughs in GrapheneOS

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

Fuck these cunt

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

For those that have issues on Samsung devices: see here if you're getting the "App not installed as package conflicts with an existing package" error :

If you have a Samsung device - uninstall the app also from Knox Secure Folder. Entering to Secure Folder>Settings>Apps

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Hope they like all my dick pics

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

Don't worry they won't!

/Burn

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago

Dood they scanned all my furry porn

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

Google harvesting all your data for profits. I’m shocked. Shocked I say.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (16 children)

Seems to be innocuous, but there's no harm in removing it. Next update, it'll be returned, so the better solution long-term will be (if you're rooted) is to use an application to freeze it, which effectively disables it and it should survive and update. If you delete the app, a new update will put it back.

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