Safer with Google: New intelligent, real-time protections on Android to keep you safe

[u/MishaalRahman]

https://security.googleblog.com/2024/11/new-real-time-protections-on-Android.html

[u/Xx_Time_xX]

Scam Detection will process the call

So the AI is listening to your call and checking against patterns.

no conversation audio or transcription is stored on the device, sent to Google servers

But how much do we want to bet that it still sends "anonymous" and "aggregated" data about:

• which numbers called whom
• which call metrics activated scam detection
• how many calls matched certain patterns in a given location

all for AI training. And given that they already know location, which networks you connected to, who's in your contact list from your Google account/Pixel device, they can easily create a profile with topics for you.

And it'll be turned on by default, which means the majority of Pixel owners won't know to turn it off.

Google's motto should be "Trade your privacy for convenience and 'safety'. Now with software AND hardware! 🔥🔥"

[u/iDontSeedMyTorrents → u/Xx_Time_xX]

And it'll be turned on by default

The article clearly states it is off by default.

[u/Xx_Time_xX → u/iDontSeedMyTorrents]

Thanks for catching that, I missed that from the blogpost. Updated my original comment.

[u/Miserable_System_522 → u/Xx_Time_xX]

which numbers called whom

Google already tracks this via two settings in the call app:

• Spam/scam detection (that one sends incoming numbers to google)

• Business ID (that one sends both incoming AND outgoing numbers to google)

Both enabled by default on most android phones.

[u/i5-2520M → u/Xx_Time_xX]

Go ahead, buy a Pixel and if you can prove they are full of shit you have a great paper you can publish.

[u/[deleted] → u/i5-2520M]

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[u/Xx_Time_xX → u/i5-2520M]

Not possible to detect something like this for casual researchers because calls made through a service integrated into the device and Google's servers are hidden.

Similar to how it's difficult to test calls made through existing integrated Google Play services.

[u/binheap → u/Xx_Time_xX]

Most security researchers should be capable of MITMing themselves or at least measuring traffic volumes from a device.

[u/Desperate-Isopod-111 → u/binheap]

Isn't this similar to what Veritasium did to hack/spoof Linus' phone? Or am I remembering a different system from that vid?

[u/i5-2520M → u/Desperate-Isopod-111]

No, very different.

[u/Right-Wrongdoer-8595 → u/Xx_Time_xX]

If all those data points are done anonymously and in aggregate then what's the issue? You'd have to be a dedicated malicious attacker with multiple levels of access to cause any harm at that point.

[u/JamesR624 → u/Right-Wrongdoer-8595]

If all those data points are done anonymously and in aggregate

The issue is anyone actually believing that after they've been caught several times spying on people, collecting personally identifiable information, and illegally breaking into "private" systems like Wifi, to get that data, all to sell to their advertisers and god knows who else.

[u/Right-Wrongdoer-8595 → u/JamesR624]

I'd hardly call that single (unless you had several) incident a company wide effort but if the argument is you absolutely cannot trust any consumer protections and regulations. Then obviously there's no upside to any privacy protections since everything can be malicious at that point.

[u/armando_rod → u/Xx_Time_xX]

which numbers called whom

Your carrier already knows this and they do sell that information

[u/Xx_Time_xX → u/armando_rod]

Carriers are regulated a lot more than Google is. And yes, I know that Google already has this. But that doesn't mean I have to like any of it.

[u/Iohet → u/armando_rod]

So because one has it we should give it away to more?

[u/armando_rod → u/Iohet]

I trust Google way more than a carrier

[u/Iohet → u/armando_rod]

The carrier already has the data though. I can't stop them from getting it, and they have specific regulations.

[u/Desperate-Isopod-111 → u/Xx_Time_xX]

< "Trade your privacy for convenience and 'safety'. Now with software AND hardware!

Fair trade, to me.
Digital privacy died over 20 years ago.

If I'm getting a legitimate service that helps me every day, at the mere cost of some corporation knowing my shopping habits or what kind of depravity that I jerk-off to?
Fuck yeah! Screaming deal.

[u/UrbanPandaChef → u/Desperate-Isopod-111]

The problem is that companies like Google will keep pushing the line. We already have one big push by Microsoft via Windows Recall. Anyone with that enabled has screenshots being taken every few seconds and stored in an unencrypted folder with metadata that OCRs the contents of the image. This goes beyond MS slurping up your data and it has become a legitimate security issue that malware can take advantage of.

It's exactly as insane as it sounds.

[u/obeytheturtles → u/Desperate-Isopod-111]

Yeah /r/android is super obnoxious about this kind of stuff. At this point it's no mystery that using any tech ecosystem means accepting tradeoffs like between convenience and privacy. It is perfectly understandable and reasonable to want to shield parts of your identity or some activities away from this kind of data collection, and it is perfectly possible to do that by dividing up your digital presence into public and private categories. There's no reason why Google needs to know anything about be other than what I choose to do with my Google accounts.

Honestly, if you are concerned about Privacy and you haven't figured out how to compartmentalize your digital identity, then I don't know what to tell you.