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Is this actually a big deal? It seems like they accidentally updated some servers before the rollout?

by 8note 6y ago

dfabulich 6y ago
The "big deal" is that Google hasn't updated any of its apps since Dec 8, due to ongoing privacy war with Apple over Google's iOS apps. Google refuses to admit, as Facebook has, to tracking everything you do in every possible way. This is "just" the first big thing to break as a result.
hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
I see articles like this with a semi-conspiratorial angle and I just roll my eyes. They had a bug, and they fixed it. Not everything is part of some master plot.
- dessant 6y ago
  What other angle is more plausible for Google not updating any of its iOS apps for the past two months, than the one presented in the article? https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/google-llc/id281956209 https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/google-llc/id281956209
  - aaomidi 6y ago
    Lack of good API s from Apple to set privacy levels programmatically? I can see that as an issue.
  - gerash 6y ago
    A non conspiratorial interpretation is if an app uses a bunch of upstream libraries that change their behavior every time someone checks in a change you want these labels to be automatically updated because you don't want media articles for every mistake. All these need some new release process.
    - dessant 6y ago
      It sounds rather expensive to halt all releases for months, just to more efficiently update privacy labels. The scenario you describe would mostly likely go differently: they'd continue to update at least flagship apps while working on better automated dependency monitoring solutions.
mkonecny 6y ago
The article mentions you cannot use the app until its been updated
- spenvo 6y ago
  Hm, I don't think I said that. I think this is more of PR issue than anything else
spenvo 6y ago
it's not a big deal, it just highlights that Google has stalled over 2 months on pushing out updates for its flagship apps, because it seems they don't want to add iOS privacy "nutrition" labels. Like Facebook did (and suffered some[0] pushback[1] for). Edit: interesting that this is getting downvoted. [0] - https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1339174301564604418 https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1339174301564604418 [1] - https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347165127036977153 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347165127036977153
- minikites 6y ago
  Over two months? This policy was announced last June, they've had almost eight.
  - jeromegv 6y ago
    Deadline to force apps to use it was 2 months ago.
    - minikites 6y ago
      All the more reason they should have used the six months prior.
  - fy20 6y ago
    This seems the norm for tech companies and more restrictive privacy policies. GDPR was originally announced in 2012, in 2016 it was adopted by the EC. After that member states had two years to adopt it into law, after which enforcement would start. Most companies didn't bother doing anything about it until 2018, and even today a lot of non-EU companies restrict or block access to EU customers, saying it's too hard to only use personal data for purposes they have been given permission for.
- greggman3 6y ago
  My guess is you're being downvoted because you claimed Google doesn't want to add iOS privacy "nutrition" labels with absolutely no evidence to back you up. As HN's guidelines say, always assume the best intensions. It's just as likely they just haven't shipped the new versions of the apps yet for many other technical reasons. Given the labels are a requirement and Google hasn't announced a lawsuit, there's no reason to believe they have any intention to not add them.

Is this actually a big deal? It seems like they accidentally updated some servers before the rollout?

by 8note 6y ago

Is this actually a big deal? It seems like they accidentally updated some servers before the rollout?

The "big deal" is that Google hasn't updated any of its apps since Dec 8, due to ongoing privacy war with Apple over Google's iOS apps. Google refuses to admit, as Facebook has, to tracking everything you do in every possible way. This is "just" the first big thing to break as a result.

hn_throwaway_99 6y ago

I see articles like this with a semi-conspiratorial angle and I just roll my eyes. They had a bug, and they fixed it. Not everything is part of some master plot.

dessant 6y ago
What other angle is more plausible for Google not updating any of its iOS apps for the past two months, than the one presented in the article? https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/google-llc/id281956209 https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/google-llc/id281956209
- aaomidi 6y ago
  Lack of good API s from Apple to set privacy levels programmatically? I can see that as an issue.
- gerash 6y ago
  A non conspiratorial interpretation is if an app uses a bunch of upstream libraries that change their behavior every time someone checks in a change you want these labels to be automatically updated because you don't want media articles for every mistake. All these need some new release process.
  - dessant 6y ago
    It sounds rather expensive to halt all releases for months, just to more efficiently update privacy labels. The scenario you describe would mostly likely go differently: they'd continue to update at least flagship apps while working on better automated dependency monitoring solutions.

mkonecny 6y ago

The article mentions you cannot use the app until its been updated

spenvo 6y ago
Hm, I don't think I said that. I think this is more of PR issue than anything else

spenvo 6y ago

it's not a big deal, it just highlights that Google has stalled over 2 months on pushing out updates for its flagship apps, because it seems they don't want to add iOS privacy "nutrition" labels. Like Facebook did (and suffered some[0] pushback[1] for). Edit: interesting that this is getting downvoted. [0] - https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1339174301564604418 https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1339174301564604418 [1] - https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347165127036977153 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347165127036977153

minikites 6y ago
Over two months? This policy was announced last June, they've had almost eight.
- jeromegv 6y ago
  Deadline to force apps to use it was 2 months ago.
  - minikites 6y ago
    All the more reason they should have used the six months prior.
- fy20 6y ago
  This seems the norm for tech companies and more restrictive privacy policies. GDPR was originally announced in 2012, in 2016 it was adopted by the EC. After that member states had two years to adopt it into law, after which enforcement would start. Most companies didn't bother doing anything about it until 2018, and even today a lot of non-EU companies restrict or block access to EU customers, saying it's too hard to only use personal data for purposes they have been given permission for.
greggman3 6y ago
My guess is you're being downvoted because you claimed Google doesn't want to add iOS privacy "nutrition" labels with absolutely no evidence to back you up. As HN's guidelines say, always assume the best intensions. It's just as likely they just haven't shipped the new versions of the apps yet for many other technical reasons. Given the labels are a requirement and Google hasn't announced a lawsuit, there's no reason to believe they have any intention to not add them.