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submitted 5 months ago by ad_on_is@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world

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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[-] teohhanhui@lemmy.world 47 points 5 months ago
[-] kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 5 months 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.nz 9 points 5 months 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.

[-] kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 months ago

Blaming the victim solves nothing.

Scamming is a rapidly growing industry that is becoming more professional and specialized all the time. Anyone can be scammed.

[-] desktop_user 5 points 5 months 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.

[-] kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 months ago

No, that wouldn't make much difference. I don't think I've seen a real world attack via SMS that even bothered to "forge" the from-field. People are used to getting texts from unknown numbers.

And how would you possibly implement this supposed "caller-id" for a field that doesn't even have to be set to a number?

[-] desktop_user 0 points 5 months ago

caller id is the thing that tells you the number. it isn't cheap to forge, but it's the only way a scan could reasonably effect anyone with more than half a brain. there is never a reason to send information to an unknown SMS number, or click on a link from a text message from an unknown number.

[-] cley_faye@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

You don't need advanced scanning technology running on every device with access to every single bit of data you ever seen to detect scam. You need telco operator to stop forwarding forged messages headers and… that's it. Cheap, efficient, zero risk related to invasion of privacy through a piece of software you did not need but was put there "for your own good".

[-] zlatko@programming.dev 4 points 5 months ago

I will perhaps be nitpicking, but... not exactly, not always. People get their shit hacked all the time due to poor practices. And then those hacked things can send emails and texts and other spam all they want, and it'll not be forged headers, so you still need spam filtering.

[-] Spaniard@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

If the app did what op is claiming then the EU would have a field day fining google.

[-] dan@upvote.au 4 points 5 months 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.ca 2 points 5 months ago

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

[-] throwback3090@lemmy.nz 5 points 5 months ago

Yes, absolutely, and regularly, and without shame.

But not usually about technical stuff.

[-] throwback3090@lemmy.nz 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months 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.

[-] ad_on_is@lemm.ee 2 points 5 months ago

And what exactly does that have to do with GrapheneOS?

[-] teohhanhui@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months 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.

[-] loics2@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago

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

this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
1028 points (100.0% liked)

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