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Girl unaware all her pictures are sent to journalist
- oellegaard 13y agotl;dr A Norwegian girl, living abroad, enabled "auto upload my pictures to Google+" on her phone and for some reason they end up in a Norwegian IT journalists Google+. Everything from full passport details to regular photos are uploaded. The journalist can see Geo location etc as well. Google keep stating it is not possible and the journalist are experiencing problems contacting Google.
- nwh 13y agoHash collision between their internal IDs? I'll probably turn out to be something nutty like that.
- sesqu 13y agoHash/GUID collision is exactly what I suspect. I wonder if we'll learn anything from this, or if we'll ever even see an analysis.
- esalman 13y agoYou do not have to `enable` it, as soon as you add an account to an android phone, photos automatically start syncing.
- lifebar 13y agoStrange... mine doesn't...
- UnoriginalGuy 13y agoWhat kind of account? I have my Google account(s) synced up to my Android phone and have a total of 0 photos in my Google+ album. I have them syncing with DropBox intentionally.
- dkersten 13y agoSame for me - but I noticed that it suddenly started syncing to Google+ too a few weeks ago (not sure why it started doing this, either there was an update or it was because I logged into Google+ using the default Android Google+ app and it enabled it then). Either way, I wasn't particularly happy about it, though I believe it uploaded them but did not make them public. I turned it off as soon as I noticed as I don't need my photos synced to two places and I already had photos synced to DropBox.
- myko 13y ago> or it was because I logged into Google+ using the default Android Google+ app and it enabled it then It asks you if you want the uploads to take place when you first setup the app.
- esalman 13y agoBoth Google/Gmail account and Google Apps account. I may not be correct about 'any' android phone though. I've only used stock and several custom ROM on Galaxy Nexus ranging from version 4.0.4 to 4.2.2. After you add a Google/gapps account you'll see this in sync setting- http://s24.postimg.org/fxbv98s05/Screenshot_2013_04_28_23_42_31.png http://s24.postimg.org/fxbv98s05/Screenshot_2013_04_28_23_42... . I've found 'Google Photos' always checked by default. First time this feature was introduced, I didn't notice and my G+ filled up with random images from my mobile gallery. Since then I consciously turn this off everytime I flash a ROM. Edit: so you don't necessarily need Google+ app installed for this to happen.
- Ironlink 13y agoI have two Android phones (ICS and Jelly Bean) and this has not been my experience at all. The first time you start the Google+ app, it will ask you if you want to enable Instant Upload (which uploads to a private album from which you can publish). Prior to that it doesn't do anything with your photos.
- Kiro 13y agoIt's true. I was surprised when I suddenly started to get notifications that my photos had been uploaded to G+ and were ready to be shared (I don't even use G+ but have a zombie account). I don't really mind though. Good backup.
- corresation 13y agoIt isn't true. By default -- including on a brand-new Nexus 4 -- it will notify you that photos are ready to be uploaded, and if you follow-through it gives you the option of automatically uploading from then forward.
- Kiro 13y agoNo, it definitely uploaded them. They are in my G+ account. The notification says ready to be shared.
- tobiasu 13y agoIndeed, happened to my very privacy sensitive colleague while setting up his new S3 (he had no prior G+ account, so he got a new one). This may depend on what type of account you have and what terms you have agreed to.
- corresation 13y agoThen you opted to allow automatic uploads. When you first opened Google+ (which is not installed by default), you were asked whether to automatically upload photos. You chose yes. http://support.google.com/plus/answer/1304818 http://support.google.com/plus/answer/1304818
- Noughmad 13y agoYou have to install the Google+ app, at least I had to do so. I don't have a Nexus though, does it come pre-installed?
- moe 13y agoI don't have a Nexus though, does it come pre-installed? Not only does it come pre-installed but you also can't uninstall it.
- drivebyacct2 13y agoYou can very easily disable the app causing it to be no longer present in it's unextracted form, meaning it's effectively uninstalled.
- moe 13y agoLast I checked Google+ was the one spyware that you couldn't get rid of even when you rooted the phone. I.e. once you disable G+ all sorts of unrelated apps will hang/force close. Admittedly it's been a long time since I tried, perhaps they fixed it since then.
- UnoriginalGuy 13y agoThis is exactly why I never say something is "not possible" in relation to IT anymore. Everything is "possible" some things are just more likely to occur than others. In particular I've found race conditions and memory corruption to result in particularly fun "impossible" situations. I try to say "I don't understand the mechanic by which that could occur, can you reproduce it?" and if they can then I have to figure out /how/ they can.
- waterlesscloud 13y agoThe mindset that something "isn't possible" is dangerous as a developer. You should never deny the evidence. When you say "It's not possible", something in your understanding is obviously mistaken. Maybe your understanding of the evidence, maybe your understanding of the problem, but somewhere you're wrong. Your job now is to find out where you're wrong. The correct response in such situations is "What am I wrong about?" I've lost count of how many times I've seen the Can't Happen mindset delay resolution of an issue. It's a genuine problem.
- NetMonkey 13y agoI think that your "What am I wrong about?" approach is going too far in the opposite direction. I usually use "That shouldn't be possible" - whether it is possible or if it's user error then often depends on the maturity of the system. On a new system pretty much anything is possible. On a system battle-tested for years by thousands of users the possibility of encountering program bugs drops dramatically. This is where good supporters become very valuable. They will be able to learn the solutions to common problems that users face and determine if it´s user error, other errors like OS problems or if it's something new that should be investigated by the developers. Of course if the bug is reproducible then it's a different matter. But any developer who doesn't take a well-described and reproducible bug report seriously should probable find a different job.
- davidp 13y agoThe first job of the respondent is to validate the input so that the right problem gets solved. > I've lost count of how many times I've seen the Can't Happen mindset delay resolution of an issue. It's a genuine problem. Agreed. > When you say "It's not possible", something in your understanding is obviously mistaken. Not necessarily. Bear in mind that the "error" data itself can be wrong too, for many reasons -- some benign, some not so much. People can and do lie and make mistakes. In the public sphere things are even more fraught. There are people who loathe $COMPANY and would love to see their services discredited. On the other hand, $COMPANY's legitimate success depends to some extent on people's perception of their reliability, so they have a right to defend themselves. I think a reasonable response from $COMPANY in this case is "1) That's impossible", to reassure skittish customers, and "2) We'll work directly with the person having the problem and report back, stay tuned" to show respect and responsiveness (and potentially humility later). If you were running your own company, paying the salaries of your employees and serving your investors, would you do otherwise?
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- pavanky 13y agoShe probably bought a phone he sold off or lost ?
- oellegaard 13y agoThey are on different continents. Also, he changed passwords afterwards and it kept happening.
- wcoenen 13y agoChanging your password doesn't unlink applications or devices from your google account. See "connected applications and sites" at https://www.google.com/settings/security https://www.google.com/settings/security
- troels 13y agoThe may be on different continents, but they have the same (rare) nationality. I suspect something similar.
- bajsejohannes 13y agoTo be fair, Google is not saying it's impossible. They're saying "these things" are most often a result of a user error and that they'll look into it.
- OGinparadise 13y agoReason #12 why I will not use Google Glass or talk (beyond "hi" and "Yeah, nice weather") to one that has them on. I don't care how much they keep pushing them, they have their agenda, I have mine. Stuff like this has the potential of ruining lives and relationships.
- corresation 13y agoUnwanted sharing is not cool, however when you say- Stuff like this has the potential of ruining lives and relationships. Do you mean that truth has the potential of ruining lives and relationships?
- threeseed 13y agoAre you arguing that truth doesn't have the potential ? If so. Care to upload photos of your passport, credit card and social security documentation ?
- corresation 13y agoIt is a sad day on Hacker News when the majority of replies to my basic question are these nonsensical, defensive, attack replies, as if everyone needs to pick a side and wave a flag. Rar rar!
- jebeng 13y agoSometimes the information portrayed does not represent the truth and lacks context. Truth is not what most people fear. It's absence of truth and the assumption that something is true that can do the most damage.
- corresation 13y agoGive some examples, please. In the overwhelming majority of unwanted picture releases, it is actually the truth that caught people out, not anything "out of context" (which is the ultimate weasel phrase. "Sure I said that racist jokes..but you have to understand that I'm being taken out of context: There weren't any black people in hearing range!"). The teacher that actually has a night life, outside of the lie that everyone sits knitting sweaters for kittens at night. Etc. It is the individual and social lies that get unfurled.
- Hitchhiker 13y ago" Whether you are trying to protect corporate intellectual property or just the privacy of your personal life, the key idea is that you shouldn't underestimate the importance of your disclosures, particularly over time. " [1] [1] - Conti, Greg (2008-10-10). Googling Security: How Much Does Google Know About You?
- _delirium 13y agoMinor wording point: I think "sensitive" rather than "delicate" pictures is what's meant here, i.e. in the sense of "sensitive documents". (Sensitive/delicate overlap in some of their meanings, but not this one.)
- danso 13y agoYes, I saw this post in the 'Newest' feed but decided not to click on it because it sounded like badly translated porn-spam. Luckily, others were less cynical and upvoted it.
- RexRollman 13y agoI thought the same thing but had assumed this was a Google Translate issue.
- Osmium 13y agoJust a warning: blurring pixels in sensitive photos like this is often insufficient. Always black out the information instead (and make sure to flatten the image! and not save it as e.g. a pdf with a black bar over it which has actually happened before too) http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/01/how_to_recover.html http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/01/how_to_recover...
- aaron695 13y agoThat would be interesting if they actually deciphered a real blurred picture. Which they didn't cause it's not possible, I mean, left to reader. [edit: I put it with the myth you need to erase data on a hard disk randomly multiple times http://www.nber.org/sys-admin/overwritten-data-gutmann.html http://www.nber.org/sys-admin/overwritten-data-gutmann.html ]
- stevenashley 13y agoHave you seen the photoshop image deblurring plugin? http://tv.adobe.com/watch/max-2011-sneak-peeks/max-2011-sneak-peek-image-deblurring/ http://tv.adobe.com/watch/max-2011-sneak-peeks/max-2011-snea...
- taeric 13y agoThere is a big difference in removing camera shake from a raw image file and removing a blur from a jpeg.
- skore 13y agoThey actually have an example for a regular blurred jpeg at the end. And yes, a camera shake may big difference to a regular blur, but then again, an actual regular blur (so an unfocused lens instead of a moving lens) is less often the problem.
- taeric 13y agoWow, I had meant to have another sentence saying that it is probably still possible based on the "blur" technique used. But... yeah, I clearly did not say that. I would assume most of the time people "smudge" the data they want to be removed from a photo. Though, as stated, adding new information to the image has got to be the best way to do this. (a blackout.)
- drucken 13y ago"The girl lives on another continent, so it is not just knocking on the door either." from "Jenta bor på et annet kontinent, så det er ikke bare å banke på døren heller." Can I assume that is mistranslated since the passport picture shows Norway which is the same country as the journalist? Separately, DN.no seems to be a business tabloid, 8th largest, in Norway, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagens_N%C3%A6ringsliv http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagens_N%C3%A6ringsliv).
- zidel 13y agoThe translation is correct, so she might be living somewhere else. On the topic of translation issues, "We" in the first sentence of that paragraph is "Google" in the original which changes the meaning a little.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- brudgers 13y agoAs much as I love bashing Google over privacy. And as highly probable as I believe the sort of glitch described is likely to occur, two things make me skeptical of this story. A) That of all the random ways that a bug like this could manifest itself, it happened with a tech journalist on the receiving end. B) That the author spoke with a live human Googler over a customer service issue in regard to a free service. The real story here is B not A.
- threeseed 13y agoFor all we know it could be happening to lots of people. But they aren't tech journalists so we don't know about it.
- objclxt 13y ago> The real story here is B not A I would assume if you're a journalist in the tech industry worth you salt you probably have a Google contact you could call.
- brudgers 13y agoThere is a difference between knowing someone at Google and getting someone at Google to go on the record in regard to a customer service issue with a free product as "spokesperson Cristine Sorensen" is reported to have done.
- Evbn 13y agoClaims of Brokenness don't get support. Claims of violations of privacy policy and law get support.
- antsam 13y agoFor the longest time, I used to receive someone else's e-mails on GMail. Our e-mail addresses were very similar except that mine had periods in it and his apparently didn't. Either that or he really loved signing me up for things.
- nitrogen 13y agoPeriods are supposed to be ignored in GMail addresses, so maybe this other person's address was very similar to the period-stripped version of yours.
- andrewaylett 13y agoMy understanding is that Google strips full stops before comparing email addresses and accounts for equality, which is really annoying when people split their email addresses differently at different times, making them look distinct when they are actually the same.
- myko 13y agoIt's really useful to me. I have a filter for messages to: m.y.g.m.a.i.l@gmail.com which marks the message read and moves it out of my inbox. This is the address I give out to companies whose correspondences I don't care to read generally but don't necessarily want to go directly to the trash.
- sesqu 13y agoSimilarly, I give out period-wise permutations.
- scott_karana 13y agoYou can also use + suffixes, which allows you to label.the address. Scott+newslettername@Gmail.com for example.
- SoftwareMaven 13y agoAssuming the crappy regex on the form will accept it.. :( It's better now, but I still fail about 20% of the time.
- ddod 13y agoI'm glad to see a story like this getting some press as I've suspected that I've been dealing with something very similar for years now. Every so often I get an email from Facebook or some other service asking me to confirm a sign up I never made and under a different name, and then afterwards (where it gets strange) I get an email thanking me for confirming. Gmail says no other IPs have logged into my account and there's nothing in my sent folder related to it. I've changed passwords and it still happens. It's almost as if I share an email address with someone but they have a different "account".
- Evbn 13y agoThat is just someone using your address as their alternate email.
- ddod 13y agoI really doubt that, as it doesn't seem like you can put in multiple email addresses when you are first signing up for Facebook (http://puu.sh/2IP5J.png http://puu.sh/2IP5J.png). I also don't imagine Facebook continues to email the unverified email addresses after a user has changed their address to pass the verification.
- doobley 13y agoIs there a dot in your username?
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- gcb0 13y agoI'm experiencing something that is obviously dumb users. i have a first.last@gmail address and my name is very common. So i bet others had to use less desirable gmail addresses. Since google started to aggressively push for adding alternative email and/or phone number, dumb users that initially wanted my email address entered it as their "alternate email" not understanding it's for password recovery only. I clicked the "not me" link in more than 20 confirmation emails, but google probably never used that to better inform the dumb users. Now my gmail account is a cesspool of emails intended for other people, site registration confirmation for idiots with same first/last name but a different middle name... And there's no spam algorithm that can fight that! Time to start looking for alternatives.
- gcb0 13y agoAnd same as the article, i never get to know the idiots email address they are trying to register mine as the password recovery. That's the dumbest on googles side. Makes me powerless to solve the idiocy dos attack on my account
- furyofantares 13y agoWhy do you repeatedly call them idiots and refer to this behavior as idiocy?
- mpyne 13y agoBecause it's the near-equivalent of misspelling your name on an exam, at least when it's entering your own email address. On the flipside I sometimes get mails intended for someone else with my name in Australia, but that is easy enough to assume that his friends/kids' teachers/etc. just manually typed in the address and messed it up.
- jere 13y agoOh, you'll love this one. I was sent a notice that my car was ready to pick up, but it was for a guy that lives in Canada and has a similar name/email. I respond saying the shop has the wrong email address. The shop owner (let's call him Bob) replies saying "that's the one you gave me" facepalm #1 I find the car owner and forward him the info on facebook. He responds back saying "Thanks, Bob." Even though the message is clearly from me. facepalm #2 Even if these people were completely tech illiterate... have they never heard of a wrong number?!?
- drakaal 13y agoI am guessing there is a user Hash Collision. Google uses hashes for a lot of things. Hash tables are very fast, and great for database look up. In Python if there is a hash collision both entries are compared and resolved by comparison. This is still fast because doing a compare against 4 collisions is still much faster than doing a compare against 1Billion user names. That said... The odds get to be beyond astronomical. What percentage of people are journalists? I mean if they said someone contacted us to let us know, that would be believable, but "I am a journalist, and this is happening to me" seems a lot less likely. I'm not ready to side with Google that this is impossible, but even the response from Google doesn't sound like the Google I know. While Google is hard to get a hold of for tech support and resolution of things, if you do get them to respond to a privacy concern they are swift. With a Teen Girl they would be even swifter. One naked Bathroom pic and they are suddenly in the Child Porn distribution business, knowingly infringing (since they have been told now) on a teen with out her knowledge. That's the kind of thing that an employee goes to jail for, not just gets some big fines.
- eksith 13y agoI thought the same thing. When I first created a Google+ account, when I went to YouTube, it was just a hash. I imagine your gallery would be the same since it's all now one linked platform. And this is indeed not the Google we're all familiar with. Google could land it real hot water; not the wrist slaps for privacy/monopoly violations we've seen so far that could actually be chalked up to oversight... if you tried hard enough. This would be a real low point in the company if pans out to be some sort of auto-upload feature that got enabled and to the wrong account.
- doobley 13y agoUmm...how do you know it's a hash and not a unique id? By your rationale, UNIX is broken because my uid is a small integer.
- ams6110 13y agoThe odds get to be beyond astronomical The odds of winning the lottery are pretty poor too. Yet people win them every day.
- dwc 13y agoUff! Min paranoia fortalte meg å slå av automatisk opplasting. Jeg er veldig glad jeg gjorde.
- zerr 13y agoკარგი გადაწყვეტილებაა.
- jayferd 13y agoslight mistranslation: "...sak som Google ikke kan forklare" means "...that Google can't explain", not "...that I can't explain". (my Norwegian isn't that good, but this kind of sticks out...)
- web64 13y agoI guess tech-journalists gets to try out quite a few mobile phones through their work. Would it not be a reasonable scenario that the journalist got to try a phone and used the Google+ app with his account. Upon returning the phone, it wasn't reset properly before being sold on to another person. So the Google+ app could still be associated with the journalist's account when the phone was sold on. Update: In this article(http://www.dagensit.no/tester/article2355417.ece http://www.dagensit.no/tester/article2355417.ece) the journalist reviews the Sony Xperia S, the very same phone model that the girl uses.
- OSButler 13y agoMy wife had a problem with a girl creating a facebook account using a similar email to hers that somehow got her gmail account connected to that facebook account. There was some account sharing going on, as the girl used that email address to login to her facebook account and all the FB notifications ended up in my wife's inbox. At first I thought her account was compromised, but it was a secure password, so it seemed to be caused by the only slightly differing email addresses somehow being shared internally by gmail. Only after activating 2-factor authentication did I manage to prevent that girl from using my wife's gmail account. However, this was followed by a few weeks of constant gmail notifications about a detail/password change request sent to her phone.