China's Top Android Phones Collect Way More Info (theregister.com) 42
Artem S. Tashkinov writes: Don't buy an Android phone in China, boffins have warned, as they come crammed with preinstalled apps transmitting privacy-sensitive data to third-party domains without consent or notice. The research, conducted by Haoyu Liu (University of Edinburgh), Douglas Leith (Trinity College Dublin), and Paul Patras (University of Edinburgh), suggests that private information leakage poses a serious tracking risk to mobile phone customers in China, even when they travel abroad in countries with stronger privacy laws.
In a paper titled "Android OS Privacy Under the Loupe: A Tale from the East," the trio of university boffins analyzed the Android system apps installed on the mobile handsets of three popular smartphone vendors in China: OnePlus, Xiaomi and Oppo Realme. The researchers looked specifically at the information transmitted by the operating system and system apps, in order to exclude user-installed software. They assume users have opted out of analytics and personalization, do not use any cloud storage or optional third-party services, and have not created an account on any platform run by the developer of the Android distribution. A sensible policy, but it doesn't seem to help much. Within this limited scope, the researchers found that Android handsets from the three named vendors "send a worrying amount of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) not only to the device vendor but also to service providers like Baidu and to Chinese mobile network operators."
In a paper titled "Android OS Privacy Under the Loupe: A Tale from the East," the trio of university boffins analyzed the Android system apps installed on the mobile handsets of three popular smartphone vendors in China: OnePlus, Xiaomi and Oppo Realme. The researchers looked specifically at the information transmitted by the operating system and system apps, in order to exclude user-installed software. They assume users have opted out of analytics and personalization, do not use any cloud storage or optional third-party services, and have not created an account on any platform run by the developer of the Android distribution. A sensible policy, but it doesn't seem to help much. Within this limited scope, the researchers found that Android handsets from the three named vendors "send a worrying amount of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) not only to the device vendor but also to service providers like Baidu and to Chinese mobile network operators."
Surprising No One (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
So Google and who else? We're talking Android here.
If you are gonna troll, be relevant (Score:1)
Would've been funnier if instead of a Nazi symbol, you used a symbol of the Chinese Communist Party.
I will give you a point for having a relevant "subject:" line.
Re: (Score:1)
So Google and who else? We're talking Android here.
In China all your personal info gets sent to a bunch of different domains (ooh...scary), but here in the US, we've managed to keep it all under one domain (Google).
Until Google sell that data
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Until Google sell that data
Google doesn't sell user data. It's far more valuable for Google to use it to target ads, and selling it to others would dilute that value.
Also, common cynicism to the contrary aside, Google does try not to be evil (it's even still in the employee code of conduct; all of the stories about its removal were wrong -- it just got moved from the preamble to the summary), and selling user data would be evil. Taking data to use for targeted advertising in exchange for services is a justifiable trade. Turning tha
Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)
Also, common cynicism to the contrary aside, Google does try not to be evil
They are pretty fucking evil. Or stupid. Which is evil with more steps.
For that matter, Google doesn't even want your data, really
For a company that doesnt want my data, it sure as shit does collect a bunch of it.
Stop sucking Googles dick. You won't get the reach around.
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Also, common cynicism to the contrary aside, Google does try not to be evil
They are pretty fucking evil. Or stupid. Which is evil with more steps.
What's your basis for that claim?
For that matter, Google doesn't even want your data, really
For a company that doesnt want my data, it sure as shit does collect a bunch of it.
What's your basis for that claim?
Re: (Score:2)
Also, common cynicism to the contrary aside, Google does try not to be evil
They are pretty fucking evil. Or stupid. Which is evil with more steps.
What's your basis for that claim?
https://killedbygoogle.com/ [killedbygoogle.com]
For that matter, Google doesn't even want your data, really
For a company that doesnt want my data, it sure as shit does collect a bunch of it.
What's your basis for that claim?
https://policies.google.com/te... [google.com]
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Well the point being is that outside of the Pixel lineup, I can't think of any other American Android phones you can buy. And yes the Pixel is foreign-manufactured but.
If I want a non-China Android it's Google Pixel, something from Samsung, or maybe... Asus? Most of the other Android devices are coming from China. You are getting a Xiaomi or Oppo at that point.
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Google is just as bad as China is and just a trustworthy. They can easily disappear and unperson you. They won't kill you. They rather have you suffer. Gets their little dicks hard.
So please tell my why Google is better than the CCCP?
Easier to overthrow a gov than it is a corp.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Surprising No One (Score:4, Interesting)
No different from phones made by American companies contact American companies.
Actually, quite different.
The base Android platform doesn't send anything to anyone. On all devices with Google Play Services, Play Services does send information to Google, but it's pretty careful about PII, sending it only with user permission. Mostly, Play Services doesn't even have access to PII; it cannot look into data owned by apps on device.
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Not surprising, no. But when you think about it, if you take it as given that:
A) All phones will track you.
B) That tracking data will eventually make it's way to intelligence or law enforcement, either automatically or on (token) request,
then I think I'd rather own a Chinese phone than an American one. An American phone's tracking data will end up on five eyes eventually. But the last people any Chinese company or agency will be sharing data with is the NSA, or any other western TLA. If I'm going to be
Re: Surprising No One (Score:2)
B) That tracking data will eventually make it's way to intelligence or law enforcement, either automatically or on (token) request,
I don't care about my own countries LE organizations. I care more sbout private organizations sharing my data with their 'partners'. Because I'm not certain where these partners loyslties lie. You might think that your private information is safe with the CCP. Where you never plan to travel. Until you travel to Canada and discover that their concept of individual civil rights is a joke [wikipedia.org].
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"Until you travel to Canada and discover that their concept of individual civil rights is a joke"
Yet somehow they manage to treat their citizens better than the Arsenal of Freedom
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As long as you don't want any favors that your monarch hasn't seen fit to bestow upon the serfs. you might consider that to be 'better'.
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As long as you don't want any favors that your monarch hasn't seen fit to bestow upon the serfs. you might consider that to be 'better'.
The Canadian constitution was repatriated away from the Crown over *FORTY* years ago.
Try to keep up.
The Governor-General is a ceremonial position. Technically that person *could* refuse the request or demand of the Prime Minister of Canada but they would quickly be turfed & the position abolished unilaterally.
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your monarch [wikipedia.org]
He might not wear a crown and robes. But he plays the role pretty well.
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your monarch [wikipedia.org]
He might not wear a crown and robes. But he plays the role pretty well.
How so?
Biggest difference between POTUS & PM of Canuckistan is that the latter doesn't have term limits - of which I don't approve for any elected or appointed & Canadians can't vote directly for the PM unless they live in his riding.
If the PM loses a vote of confidence, he's out, on the spot.
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But the last people any Chinese company or agency will be sharing data with is the NSA, or any other western TLA
And why would you think that? I am pretty sure that a Chinese company will sell that data to any Western company to make money. Eventually that data ends up in the hands of the NSA.
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And why would you think that? I am pretty sure that a Chinese company will...
...do exactly what the government tells them do, on pain of death and worse. The Chinese government looks the other way on a lot of graft and corruption. But not when it comes to dealing with western intelligence agencies. Exactly no Chinese company will want to be caught dealing with a western TLA, period.
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Begs a question (Score:2)
What are Apple, Samsung et al. doing to insure that no random data collection apps are being installed from the factory?
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Is that a trick question? (Score:1)
What are Apple, Samsung et al. doing to insure that no random data collection apps are being installed from the factory?
Assuming that you're serious... seeing that they are actively acting to better and more secretively track you further, the answer to your question is exactly nothing.
Re: (Score:2)
1) that's not how begging the question works
2) duh
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What are Apple, Samsung et al. doing to insure that no random data collection apps are being installed from the factory?
"Quick, steer the conversation away from third-party privacy invasions of a mobile OS developed by a data-gorging ad-company!"
I get it. (Score:1)
Russia bad. China bad. We're heading into WWIII. Civilization was a nice experiment, until it turned out humans were animals all along.
Re: I get it. (Score:2)
Either that or we're already in Cold War II
Buy antique Chinese phones (Score:2)
That Chinese-made rotary-dial phone I found on eBay doesn't collect much info.
Now if only I could find a POTS line to plug it into, my cable box's phone adapter doesn't grok rotary dial.
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Well if you can get it to RJ11 then there are options but you may not be able to get around DTMF requirements. You could probably cobble something together with a Raspberry PI to convert rotary clicks to DTMF.
It'd be a fun project.
Re: Buy antique Chinese phones (Score:2)
I wonder if custom roms are legal.. (Score:2)
Also, people, stop being fsked by Apple and Google.
Get custom ROM.
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Looks like (Score:4, Interesting)
No, Google and China are not equal. China can make you dead if they choose.