this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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992
Google’s ‘Secret’ Update Scans All Your Photos (www.forbes.com)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
267 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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] 81 points 1 day ago (6 children)

The app can be found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.safetycore

The app reviews are a good read.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Smartest Google Defender

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

broken english too, probably from a paid indian reviewer.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Thanks for the link, this is impressive because this really has all the trait of spyware; apparently it installs without asking for permission ?

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 day ago

Yup, heard about it a week or two ago. Found it installed on my Samsung phone, it never asked for permissions or gave any info that it was added to my phone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

yea i found it as soon as this article said it was on your phone spying on you, ALSO many people, like myself noticed the battery draining pretty fast too, this is probalby the cause, if it installs without your knowledge, i doubt the app is excluded from your "app battery usage logs to, like it doesnt show up how much power its using.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

Thanks. Uninstalled. Not that it matters, they already got what they wanted from me most likely.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thanks. Uninstalled and reported. Hopefully they'll get the hint. I love my Android, but this is pushing me towards Graphene/Calyx.

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

they will probably hide it better, and make uninstallable in the future.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Absolutely. It'll be part of a future "Google play services" update.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Apparently I'm a beta tester? How, what? Thanks for the link!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

The 5 star reviews are whack