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> Google needs to not be abusing its position as the source of the OS to give its software special privilege to reach inside of third-party apps Gemini uses th
by lern_too_spel 1y ago
> Google needs to not be abusing its position as the source of the OS to give its software special privilege to reach inside of third-party apps
Gemini uses the same APIs and permissions as any other Android app.
- lern_too_spel 1y agoThis is trivial to verify. Just look at the permissions requested by the Google app like I did.
- windexh8er 1y agoEven given all of the historical abuses of Google on Android you still believe an app permission is acting in good faith when Google has hooks elsewhere into the OS? Google has already been successfully sued this year in CA for siphoning off data from phones that are idle and the remainder of states is in process [0]. [0] https://www.androidauthority.com/google-314-million-verdict-misuse-android-user-data-3573164/ https://www.androidauthority.com/google-314-million-verdict-...
- lern_too_spel 1y agoThat lawsuit was for using metered cell data not for "siphoning off data." You can look at the Android source code and verify that the Gemini app cannot bypass the permission system. This is unlike iOS, where Apple apps get special access.
- jeroenhd 1y agoGoogle Gemini shares a namespace with system-level components. You can't just take the APK and check the permissions in it to verify Google's access, you'd also need to go through Play Services, AI Core, and all the other auxiliary Android components to be sure. Without details on how Gemini is interacting with WhatsApp, it's hard to say if Google is privileged or not. It's possible Facebook just struck a deal with Google.