this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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Google’s ‘Secret’ Update Scans All Your Photos (www.forbes.com)
submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/technology
268 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] 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Huh. My device seems to have been skipped? I don't do anything special, I'm using Play Store and Play Services, and I'm up to date, but it's not showing up in my settings app list

[–] 474D 3 points 1 day ago

Pixel 7a here, it was installed and I have no idea when

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

Sometimes it uses a different name I have noticed, try to see if something with a similar is listed

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

i havent had it yet either. only suspicious thing that i notice is some android system intelligence, but that has been there for a while now. i havent dared to uninstall/deactivate it yet since i dont know if anything critical is dependent on it. havent even noticed any suspicious network activity either on rethink, beyond the usual bullshit like some uninstalled application still trying to connect to google as "unknown".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Maybe they experimenting installing it on some phones, I had it but an different name. I couldn't find it in my apps lists but when someone posted a direct link to play store app page it showed installed.

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

hmm, i looked it up myself and it doesnt seem to say its installed for me there. Cant find it by searching on my phone, only on my pc through search engine. But someone on comments there brought a good point by telling that his some old phone basically bricked because of this due to it being incompitable.

I also have fairphone, though i'm not sure if that really is the reason. Maybe they are indeed gradually installing it then.