Google's new self-installed Android app warns you about nude images in Messages | Hacker News Reader

Google's new self-installed Android app warns you about nude images in Messages

androidauthority.com

13 pointstoss19 comments

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The thing about these kinds of guard rails I always wonder about is:

1. When they are false positives and that creates a lot of confusion / problems. Both hilarious.... and more serious like banning / blocking a show (the service that does this apparently extends to google TV) that shows a nude in a painting, and what kind of incentives that creates.

2. How long until someone uses it to gather this data...

this should be a bigger and angrier thread

Fully opt-in, fully client side. Just offers a warning. People's problems holding boundaries aginst technofascism notwithstanding, this is a good and useful tool right?

> Fully opt-in

> self-installed

Isn't it a contradiction?

It doesn't look like opt-in: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42991887

If that's true then it's a piece of shit that should die along with the crappy little company that pushed it. If it's a tool to self-install then that's amazing and it should be praised. Consent and user control is literally everything, the only consideration in town on this matter.

>>Fully opt-in

You are joking, right?

* It is stealth installed without even notifying the user

* It does not even show up in the normal Apps list. Users must either search for it or turning on "All Apps" supposedly works

* There is NO description whatsoever from the vendor about the functions of the app

That is about the opposite as opt-in as it gets.

It is also about as close to stealth malware installs as it gets, missing only a few tricks.

If it were actually "fully opt-in", all android users would have been presented with a notice or advert describing the functions of this wonderful new app, with a link to go to the download page, which would provide MORE information, and where they could then opt-in and download it.

If it were actually a "good and useful tool", it would do this and be virally downloaded because of how good and useful it is.

I'm seriously baffled at how you could actually make such a claim? (If it's in jest, well-played.)

Given the onslaught of disinformation and deception I don't think it's possible for us (or anyone) to discuss this in good faith. What happened to US tech is a tragedy and my heart goes out to all real US Americans. But thanks for replying.

Thx for your sympathy, but I don't think it is impossible to discuss in good faith at all. In fact the primary goal of disinformation is not to make people believe the BS (it's only a bonus if it happens), it is to make people give up on finding the truth. So, it is all the more important to discuss under an onslaught of disinformation.

As you said in another reply,

>>"Consent and user control is literally everything, the only consideration in town on this matter.",

and Google explicitly removed any possibility of consent by stealth-installing it, and hid the app to remove user control.

Seems quite anti-user to me, EVEN IF it is actually some app I might want. If it is so great, advertise it to me, _give me the choice_, then I'll install it or not...

Have a great day

> it is all the more important to discuss

You're right. Sorry for not giving you the benefit of the doubt dude. Guess I'm kinda tired of being among the "negative idiots and luddites" warning about technofascist takeovers and the destruction of markets, choice and agency this last 10 years... Also this just isn't the forum for it, much as I love HN for other qualities. I do podcast (cybershow.uk) and you might find something a bit more lighthearted and in agreement with you there at times. respects

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