Hacker News Reader

Comment by ballenf | Hacker News Reader

So maybe Google shouldn't have guaranteed privacy of this app on a phone OS where such a promise is impossible to deliver?

View on HN

Basically any device can be seen as compromised if anyone malicious had hardware or root access - including the manufacturer. If you don't trust your manufacturer, you have far bigger problems than bluetooth IDs in the log.

I consider Facebook malicious, and I've just learnt that their pre-installed app basically has root on my Android.

How is that not the story here?

No, the Facebook app most likely does not have any special permissions. These are typically granted by manufacturers based on their own signing keys.

A preinstalled fb app does not have any special permissions.

How are you even remotely surprised by that? If you are expecting any privacy or security from a combo of Facebook and Android, you've been asleep for the last 13 years.

But that's just it. I DON'T trust Google one iota.

Then if you have an Android phone, you have no reason to believe your location data is private from Google, with or without the contact tracing app.

I'm not saying this isn't a problem, I'm in the same boat here, just that the contact tracing app doesn't really add to it.

Then you shouldn’t have an Android device. This isn’t complicated.

I don't have an Android device presicely because of this. I don't use Google Chrome, search, etc. I block all GA,Tagmanager,blahblahblah as well.

Great, this “issue” is irrelevant to you and your off-topic rant adds exactly nothing to this discussion of a clearly defined risk. For other people who have made a relevant device choice, the point stands that it’s a non-issue since there’s no additional risk.

As someone in a similar boat without an android, I think it adds to the discussion. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside to see such rants.

Hardly. Your privacy also depends on what devices your neighbors use. Bluetooth/Wifi/etc packet broadcast, etc. Apple does _some_ things to midigate privacy risks for their users, but not enough.

This. My wireless networks, MAC addresses etc are collected on Google's end by my neighbors' Google devices for things like advanced location tracking.

But note that now Apple has fake mac addresses (for wifi though) for this reason.

Google's advanced location tracking logs access point ESSIDs and MAC addresses. Whatever Apple is doing won't stop that.

Actually, Google and Apple teamed up on a contact tracing concept. Even when it was first annouced, the fact that G was attached meant that I wasn't interested. Apple's involvement only lessened the distrust slightly to me, but not enough for me to want to bother with it.

The only option you have is a phone like the Nokia 3310 then. Android and iOS are equally bad, just in different quantities of bad in different areas.

In regards to privacy they are not equally bad. And for this contact tracing app they aren’t equally bad.

They are equally bad just in different ways to different people.

Just like a Nokia. Do any manufacturers even make their own OS anymore?

buy an iphone?

This seems like saying they shouldn't have guaranteed privacy because someone could be looking over your shoulder while you type your password. Maybe that's true, but it also seems like a uselessly impractical way to interpret things.

What type of guarantees did they promise?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com