Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
About 3 days ago my phone installed without warning this app, I just removed with no problems, maybe you shoult see if you have too
You won't achieve anything by uninstalling this. Google will just implement this at OS level in future OTA updates anyways or simply reinstall it again because they have that deep level of privilege on Android. You gotta jump ship and leave the Android all together, get Graphene or some other custom ROM.
Reccomendations for bootloader unlocked phones?
Swappa and buy a pixel
I have a pixel but its verizon
We used to call software that installed things without permission a Trojan horse.
Graphene user, I highly recommend it to everyone I can.
Nah, use Ubuntu Touch instead....in about a year when it'll hopefully be usable and have more apps
Haven't people been saying that about every linux phone OS for decades now?
At this point the daily usable linux phone feels like fusion energy. Always just a few years away
LineageOS user.. here as well
Is there a mega thread explaining the main Android alternatives and their installations? Graphene looks like the best one but a google pixel is way too expensive for me and I don't have the specs to compile Calyx (I dont remember if it was calyx but one of them had a guide recommending mimimun 16/500GB)
Bought a refurbished 9Pro and put Graphene on it. I feel better how and at the fraction of the cost of a new one
Pick up an old used unlocked pixel on swappa and boom you're good. I think I picked up a 6 about a year ago for 100. It's great
I use Graphene, if you can, you should also use a custom rom.
On stock Android, Google has System privileges. If they want to do anything, they don't need to install an app visible to the user. Whatever this is, it probably has some kind of purpose. The problem isn't the app, but running an OS that the manufacturer has full control over.
no google play services here.
so no weird apps installing themselves on my phone.
Fuck, I just deleted it, should've disable it like I did with android safety core, now I'm sure at some ppint it will get reinstalled and I won't notice it or remember to check
It keeps installing itself
Just disabled it and uninstalled all updates, thanks for the heads up
It will be installed again, don't worry
Thanks! Looks as though I also had the same. I've only been able to disable it for now
I don't even have a "disable" option...
Imagine being an Admiral Patrick alt and being upset about an invasive app forcing itself onto your device and user experience without permission
Ok I'm imagining it now what
I was on mine thanks pixel 9
I don't seem to have it but I had this"Android System Key Verifier" I just removed
That one is also safe to remove, but that one is a bit older and is apparently just for verifying contacts in E2EE messenger apps. Smells like spyware to me but Google provided no more context in the description than that so I'm not inclined to trust it.
Just be aware that it will likely bring itself back without notice, either in system updates or just pushed by the Play Store.
Weirdly it's not installed on my pixel 9. I shudder every time this piece of shit updates.
I know I should install graphene and I will but right now my life is a fiasco and I just can't undertake the slightest risk that an essential won't work. I've been installing custom roms since the PDA days so it's not that.
I installed graohene on a pixel 9a some weeks ago. Zero prior knowledge. Never done any ROM phone stuff. Its just following a tutorial and clicking some buttons in a browser and on the phone. Like 20 mins or so?
Please spare me your enthusiasm, I cannot bear any risk that my banking app won't work or anything else along those lines.
You're not really listening.
I know what I'm doing, I'm just not going to do it rn because I'm smart enough to know better.
Its not the PDA days anymore. They're not ROMs anymore. Its a very easy and painless operation. Just plug it in and click some buttons in the browser.
Although it does involve restoring the system so...just make sure everything is backed up!
what does it do?
PlayStore description says:
Android Developer Verification is a Google system service that protects users on certified Android devices by validating the identity of developers for apps installed from the internet. By ensuring every app is linked to a verified developer, this service provides an essential layer of security for your device.
This is likely part of Google's attempt to close down Android and strengthen its monopoly and data harvesting mania.
Name would suggest it's part of the upcoming developer verification feature. The one that will prevent installation of any app from a developer not registered with Google, without jumping through some extra hoops.
On my pixel 7, i see it listed as beta, but not sure how to disable. Can only remove updates.
It was suspiciously easy for me to uninstall it, too. I didn't even need adb. I wonder if uninstalling this would break things systemwide.
Needless to say I also turned off the "Google Play Protect".
Any info on whether there's a risk that this uninstalling would risk breaking things?
(I'd love to have a Linux phone or something similar; unfortunately I can neither afford one due to unemployment nor I could have it getting to me through the customs without being flagged by Brazilian telecommunications regulatory agency complaining about how it lacks a license to operate around here)
if youre stuck on stock rom theres a program called Universal ADB Debloater that has premade lists of bunch of safe to remove bloatwares and removes/disables them thru adb
I'll check it, but... Doesn't this risk rendering internet banking (for context, Brazilian banking) and government apps refusing to function? Last time I threatened to simply turn on developer mode (so to use things such as adb), gov.br stopped working for me (and it's basically the 2FA app through which I'm expected to have access to public healthcare appointments, driver's license, electoral/voter ID, etc).
wtf, if it's sensitive enough to warn for developer mode, this could indeed cause issues :/
I try not to worry too much about it but it really feels like there is a ticking clock on getting some form of collaboration going to a android/Linux really phone going. More and more I have been internalizing that ticking clock.
Everything is slowly in the process of getting locked down and requiring verified accounts on verified spyware operating systems.
Ai is kind of the DRM for what used to be free access to information. Ever sense google and openai bought reddits api rights we can't use third party apps, and now its to the point you can't access content without being logged in and using the app. And in some countries you can't even use your account without a ID linked to it.
I can't watch YouTube on newpipe or other open source projects without having to switch my IP every few hours. Reddit and YouTube is where most google searches end up in. I could be locked out of basic internet functions, and information completely. Trying to force me to filter my information through an ai that's always tracking me and all my meta data ends up with palantir creating profiles on me.
In the united States we are fine for now but given how the rest of the world is looking I imagine our time is coming sooner rather than later. Googles captcha is only going to work on verified android hardware in the future so they are building up literal gates to anyone who doesnt comply.
I'm the stupidest person in the world and I don't like the pressure I feel for how little this issue is addressed when it feels like it should be of immediate concern. I had much more faith that there where plenty of actually smart people working towards this, and when you really get into it, there's only handfuls of people and they're really fragmented.
yeah i think we're all mostly feeling similarly
Mine had that app too. It didn't try to do anything yet though, my firewall would have caught it.
I can only remove updates, not the actual app.
I was able to disable but not uninstall it...
I was only able to disable it
i didnt get it as of now
It was also on mine