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I have absolutely no doubt there is some data centre in Shenzhen full of my Huawei phone metrics! I think this is the biggest issue with android phones, they a

I have absolutely no doubt there is some data centre in Shenzhen full of my Huawei phone metrics! I think this is the biggest issue with android phones, they are full of potential data leakages like this. Privacy is definitely a concern and a pull factor to getting an iPhone again. There is a lot to be said for a company that is focused on hardware and not on serving content to that device. Then again it's also a reason to get a Pixel2, I feel I can trust Google with my data more than some other android manufacturer or reseller. Sure they'll serve me more adverts, but it's to some ends at least.

nocoder 9y ago
But i dont understand this, why should I have to part with my data when I am buying a fully paid product? I know the justification being used for free services but i find it hard to accept this for a piece of hardware that I pay for.
- brazzledazzle 9y ago
  I'm not trying to justify it by any means, but I sometimes wonder if the cost of devices are sometimes subsidized by data collection.
  - holtalanm 9y ago
    I think this hit the nail on the head. Most devices are actually sold at barely over cost.
    - bdcravens 9y ago
      Indeed. I helped a relatively un-technical friend get a smartphone at MetroPCS and was blown away at the hardware you can get for $99 or less. Obviously I assumed it's very subsidized, but I found the $99 phones were only about $179 full cost, and we're talking phones not too far off spec from an iPhone 7 Plus or a Galaxy S8.
lucideer 9y ago
> I feel I can trust Google with my data more than some other android manufacturer or reseller. Sure they'll serve me more adverts, but it's to some ends at least. I'm not sure I understand this logic. Can you explain your reasoning here? What makes Google different? Is it just about data security (e.g. you don't care what anyone does with your data as long as they don't leak it publicly)?
- Gaelan 9y ago
  Google is also a US company, which means you at least have a different set of intelligence agencies after you. Given those two options, I think I’d prefer to give my data to the NSA, not the Chinese government.
  - tga 9y ago
    If you live in or travel to the US, but don't have anything to do with China, it makes more sense to prefer your data to be spied on by the Chinese, doesn't it?
    - rightos 9y ago
      It's an interesting case - they're unlikely to have any legal impact on me and my ad views are probably of very low value to them, lacking even a common language with most ads. Some people feel more comfortable with a government they voted in having their information, but ultimately one that's in some ways an adversary of your state is far less likely to have any impact on your life than one which is in your own state. Additionally, restrictions on things like copyright aren't nearly as draconian in China - last I tried Baidu's cloud drive service they offered a torrent downloader built into the thing. Other speech restrictions are obviously very nasty and present, but as you're not a citizen there's nothing they can really do to you.
      - Insanity 9y ago
        But the government they voted for tends to change every couple of years. And I doubt they wipe all data from before the elections.
Sir_Cmpwn 9y ago
Just run AOSP?
amelius 9y ago
This makes me wonder: why can we have a top of the line desktop PC which is totally libre, but not a smartphone? What has gone wrong?
- hbosch 9y ago
  App stores.
  - jiggunjer 9y ago
    Periodic driver breaking. Locked or hardtoflash bootloaders. Not releasing code. Even encrypting stock ROMs. Punishing power users by blocking root. Consumers not caring.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
- rightos 9y ago
  If you're running Windows 10, even "top of the line desktop PCs" engage in data collection these days - I have to turn off pages of settings and set group policies to disable it all properly and even then there are still some things which can't be disabled, like the Bing hit every time you type in the search box even with internet search disabled, so I have to use hosts file blocking. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-... Android is pretty much as close as you're getting - I'd say it's quite comparable to the situation on desktop PCs today if not a little better because the open source community around it is quite potent. In fact, OnePlus is quite popular in these communities for making cheap, well-spec'd phones with unlocked bootloaders where you're free to have full control over your device. And all this is missing one of the biggest sources of this spying - apps. Most apps send pretty much everything they can get their hands on when you start them, I launched a game the other day and had it connecting to 6 services for 2 analytics, ads, and crash reporting, all of which were contacted every time the app was started. For this I'm very grateful for tools like XPrivacy and LineageOS's privacy guard which all you to trivially block this and such tools are not commonly available on other platforms.
JoshMnem 9y ago
Alternate idea: get rid of the smartphone. There are many benefits. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphon...
- CharlesDodgson 9y ago
  I did this for 2 months, mainly forced to, I had my phone stolen, it was kinda nice, I read more newspapers and learnt i could send SMS messages from payphones!
  - teekert 9y ago
    Hehe, same here. It wasn't so bad actually.
  - Yhippa 9y ago
    > learnt i could send SMS messages from payphones How did you manage this?
    - davidsong 9y ago
      Whistling lessons from Kevin Mitnick
    - CharlesDodgson 9y ago
      I live in the UK, most of the newer (like after 2000) BT payphones can do. It was kinda funny, I'd started dating at the time and I got some funny feedback from ladies I was dating. Although I did find someone who thought I wasn't a massive weirdo!
Feniks 9y ago
Apple cares about your data, but they just lock you in. That's how people perceive Apple cares about your privacy. I bet Apple at this point knows FAR more about their users than Google or OnePlus does. "There is a lot to be said for a company that is focused on hardware and not on serving content to that device" Lol you can't even install anything on your iPhone without passing through Apple. Come on. And an iPhone comes with a ton of nice shiny Apple apps. They are serving Safari, iTunes and Apple wallet.

nocoder 9y ago

But i dont understand this, why should I have to part with my data when I am buying a fully paid product? I know the justification being used for free services but i find it hard to accept this for a piece of hardware that I pay for.

brazzledazzle 9y ago
I'm not trying to justify it by any means, but I sometimes wonder if the cost of devices are sometimes subsidized by data collection.
- holtalanm 9y ago
  I think this hit the nail on the head. Most devices are actually sold at barely over cost.
  - bdcravens 9y ago
    Indeed. I helped a relatively un-technical friend get a smartphone at MetroPCS and was blown away at the hardware you can get for $99 or less. Obviously I assumed it's very subsidized, but I found the $99 phones were only about $179 full cost, and we're talking phones not too far off spec from an iPhone 7 Plus or a Galaxy S8.

lucideer 9y ago

> I feel I can trust Google with my data more than some other android manufacturer or reseller. Sure they'll serve me more adverts, but it's to some ends at least. I'm not sure I understand this logic. Can you explain your reasoning here? What makes Google different? Is it just about data security (e.g. you don't care what anyone does with your data as long as they don't leak it publicly)?

Gaelan 9y ago
Google is also a US company, which means you at least have a different set of intelligence agencies after you. Given those two options, I think I’d prefer to give my data to the NSA, not the Chinese government.
- tga 9y ago
  If you live in or travel to the US, but don't have anything to do with China, it makes more sense to prefer your data to be spied on by the Chinese, doesn't it?
  - rightos 9y ago
    It's an interesting case - they're unlikely to have any legal impact on me and my ad views are probably of very low value to them, lacking even a common language with most ads. Some people feel more comfortable with a government they voted in having their information, but ultimately one that's in some ways an adversary of your state is far less likely to have any impact on your life than one which is in your own state. Additionally, restrictions on things like copyright aren't nearly as draconian in China - last I tried Baidu's cloud drive service they offered a torrent downloader built into the thing. Other speech restrictions are obviously very nasty and present, but as you're not a citizen there's nothing they can really do to you.
    - Insanity 9y ago
      But the government they voted for tends to change every couple of years. And I doubt they wipe all data from before the elections.

Sir_Cmpwn 9y ago

Just run AOSP?

amelius 9y ago

This makes me wonder: why can we have a top of the line desktop PC which is totally libre, but not a smartphone? What has gone wrong?

hbosch 9y ago
App stores.
- jiggunjer 9y ago
  Periodic driver breaking. Locked or hardtoflash bootloaders. Not releasing code. Even encrypting stock ROMs. Punishing power users by blocking root. Consumers not caring.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
rightos 9y ago
If you're running Windows 10, even "top of the line desktop PCs" engage in data collection these days - I have to turn off pages of settings and set group policies to disable it all properly and even then there are still some things which can't be disabled, like the Bing hit every time you type in the search box even with internet search disabled, so I have to use hosts file blocking. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-... Android is pretty much as close as you're getting - I'd say it's quite comparable to the situation on desktop PCs today if not a little better because the open source community around it is quite potent. In fact, OnePlus is quite popular in these communities for making cheap, well-spec'd phones with unlocked bootloaders where you're free to have full control over your device. And all this is missing one of the biggest sources of this spying - apps. Most apps send pretty much everything they can get their hands on when you start them, I launched a game the other day and had it connecting to 6 services for 2 analytics, ads, and crash reporting, all of which were contacted every time the app was started. For this I'm very grateful for tools like XPrivacy and LineageOS's privacy guard which all you to trivially block this and such tools are not commonly available on other platforms.

JoshMnem 9y ago

Alternate idea: get rid of the smartphone. There are many benefits. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphon...

CharlesDodgson 9y ago
I did this for 2 months, mainly forced to, I had my phone stolen, it was kinda nice, I read more newspapers and learnt i could send SMS messages from payphones!
- teekert 9y ago
  Hehe, same here. It wasn't so bad actually.
- Yhippa 9y ago
  > learnt i could send SMS messages from payphones How did you manage this?
  - davidsong 9y ago
    Whistling lessons from Kevin Mitnick
  - CharlesDodgson 9y ago
    I live in the UK, most of the newer (like after 2000) BT payphones can do. It was kinda funny, I'd started dating at the time and I got some funny feedback from ladies I was dating. Although I did find someone who thought I wasn't a massive weirdo!

Feniks 9y ago

Apple cares about your data, but they just lock you in. That's how people perceive Apple cares about your privacy. I bet Apple at this point knows FAR more about their users than Google or OnePlus does. "There is a lot to be said for a company that is focused on hardware and not on serving content to that device" Lol you can't even install anything on your iPhone without passing through Apple. Come on. And an iPhone comes with a ton of nice shiny Apple apps. They are serving Safari, iTunes and Apple wallet.