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

submitted 3 days ago by Sunshine to c/[email protected]

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[+] [email protected] -7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

You might not understand how Google handles data (of unique users or other internet info). Their core businesses model is based on exactly that - they read & record your private data & model ads based on it.

They won't just scan your nudes, but all pics (not that nudes don't contain useful data for Google).

Maybe I'll pay Google money to show ads for my capsaicin-based talcum alternative only to people with smooth buttholes. And as I do so (for a modest amount of money per potential client) Amazon will offer you specifically my Chilly lube.

(And the "local" thing/claim is ofc bs, it can just mean they use your CPU time instead of theirs, but still get the same computed data at the end.)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Correct. Reading the documentation this code was part of Google Messages and has now be put into a separate APK for reasons to increase transparency and safety as the app as no internet access (while google messages has) and thus it can be shown that all processing is done locally.

I also see other wild claims about it. e.g. that it consumes 2GB of RAM because its specs say that it has system requirements of 2GB RAM and so on.

There are so many Google Apps which really do send your data into the cloud. Starting from the keyboard! Attention should focus on them and not on the new unknown thing which is a great kernel for conspiracies. And because some of them can't be denied network access (Google Play services) you draw the correct conclusion: Switch platform to Lineage/Graphene/...