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I am an Android user and I feel more safe with my data there than on an Apple device. I'm open to being wrong - why is iOS more safe?

by beaner 9y ago

prklmn 9y ago
When have iCloud users been hacked outside of phishing attacks?
- beaner 9y ago
  I was thinking of the iCloud celebrity hack, but you're right - Wikipedia explains that it was initially thought to be a hack, but turned out to be due to phishing. (Though it does mention an exploit that could have been taken advantage of at the time.) I've edited my original comment to remove that part.
colechristensen 9y ago
It's much less about being hacked, and much more about what Apple will do with your data vs. what Google would do. Apple sells hardware, resells apps and media. Google sells advertising. The hardware company's interests are much more in line with the interests of your privacy than the advertising company. It's about what Apple will do willingly with your data and what it won't do. Google's entire purpose is classifying and measuring you so that the ads it serves you are the most effective. In other words you are their product, or more specifically, they sell the ability to manipulate you to the highest bidder. Ok that's a little harsh, but with the last election a large (and seemingly apparently growing) factor in the result was the ability of each side to manipulate populations of voters. It's not too much to want as much as possible to minimize the attack surface for organizations to profile and serve you information tailored to shape your behavior. The issue with how far Apple apparently went to protect the data of one of it's (mind you, entirely guilty) customers[1] makes a person think that buying Apple is a preferred choice. I'd like the ability to own my devices and data to the extent that the government or the manufacturer cannot give it away without my agreement. [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/29/apple-vs-fbi-all-you-need-to-know.html https://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/29/apple-vs-fbi-all-you-need-to...
- beaner 9y ago
  Personally, I am not worried about being advertised to. I'm worried about my data being my own. As in, not accessed by other people. In this respect, Android seems no less safe.
  - mercer 9y ago
    Consider photos. If I understand correctly, Apple is trying to do all the object/scene recognition stuff on the device itself, while Google requires you to upload your photos to the 'cloud' so they can analyze it there.
    - pgeorgi 9y ago
      Apple still needs data to build these locally running models. They advertise differential privacy as a solution for that but researchers aren't impressed (https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.02753.pdf https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.02753.pdf). Meanwhile on Android you can opt for a different photo gallery app, giving Google _nothing_ to work with, while on iOS you're stuck with whatever Apple allows you to use.
      - mercer 9y ago
        That's good to know, thanks!
      - matthewmacleod 9y ago
        Meanwhile on Android you can opt for a different photo gallery app, giving Google _nothing_ to work with, while on iOS you're stuck with whatever Apple allows you to use. You can install whatever photo gallery app you want on an iPhone and use that. It’s mildly less convenient, but not really a big deal.
- nurettin 9y ago
  Was an interesting to read (albeit wrong) until the election conspiracies. You try to separate the two companies using their main source of income, but in the end they are both surveillance apparatuses. Their surveillance may end up being used against your favor despite the unofficial contracts from their PR. Read the fine print for more information.

I am an Android user and I feel more safe with my data there than on an Apple device. I'm open to being wrong - why is iOS more safe?

by beaner 9y ago

I am an Android user and I feel more safe with my data there than on an Apple device. I'm open to being wrong - why is iOS more safe?

prklmn 9y ago

When have iCloud users been hacked outside of phishing attacks?

beaner 9y ago
I was thinking of the iCloud celebrity hack, but you're right - Wikipedia explains that it was initially thought to be a hack, but turned out to be due to phishing. (Though it does mention an exploit that could have been taken advantage of at the time.) I've edited my original comment to remove that part.

colechristensen 9y ago

It's much less about being hacked, and much more about what Apple will do with your data vs. what Google would do. Apple sells hardware, resells apps and media. Google sells advertising. The hardware company's interests are much more in line with the interests of your privacy than the advertising company. It's about what Apple will do willingly with your data and what it won't do. Google's entire purpose is classifying and measuring you so that the ads it serves you are the most effective. In other words you are their product, or more specifically, they sell the ability to manipulate you to the highest bidder. Ok that's a little harsh, but with the last election a large (and seemingly apparently growing) factor in the result was the ability of each side to manipulate populations of voters. It's not too much to want as much as possible to minimize the attack surface for organizations to profile and serve you information tailored to shape your behavior. The issue with how far Apple apparently went to protect the data of one of it's (mind you, entirely guilty) customers[1] makes a person think that buying Apple is a preferred choice. I'd like the ability to own my devices and data to the extent that the government or the manufacturer cannot give it away without my agreement. [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/29/apple-vs-fbi-all-you-need-to-know.html https://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/29/apple-vs-fbi-all-you-need-to...

beaner 9y ago
Personally, I am not worried about being advertised to. I'm worried about my data being my own. As in, not accessed by other people. In this respect, Android seems no less safe.
- mercer 9y ago
  Consider photos. If I understand correctly, Apple is trying to do all the object/scene recognition stuff on the device itself, while Google requires you to upload your photos to the 'cloud' so they can analyze it there.
  - pgeorgi 9y ago
    Apple still needs data to build these locally running models. They advertise differential privacy as a solution for that but researchers aren't impressed (https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.02753.pdf https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.02753.pdf). Meanwhile on Android you can opt for a different photo gallery app, giving Google _nothing_ to work with, while on iOS you're stuck with whatever Apple allows you to use.
    - mercer 9y ago
      That's good to know, thanks!
    - matthewmacleod 9y ago
      Meanwhile on Android you can opt for a different photo gallery app, giving Google _nothing_ to work with, while on iOS you're stuck with whatever Apple allows you to use. You can install whatever photo gallery app you want on an iPhone and use that. It’s mildly less convenient, but not really a big deal.
nurettin 9y ago
Was an interesting to read (albeit wrong) until the election conspiracies. You try to separate the two companies using their main source of income, but in the end they are both surveillance apparatuses. Their surveillance may end up being used against your favor despite the unofficial contracts from their PR. Read the fine print for more information.