Google quietly installed something on millions of Android phones.
No icon.
No popup.
No clear warning.
Most people didn't even realize it was there until they opened their system apps.
It's called Android System SafetyCore.
Some call it a privacy feature.
Others call it Google's most controversial silent update yet.
I dug into what it actually does, why people are removing it, and whether you should be concerned.
Read the full breakdown on TechyBuff:
https://t.co/BkHmdw7938
If youâre still on stock AndroidâŠ
Google silently installs SafetyCore (on-device sensitive content scanning)
and it reinstalls itself every time you try to remove it.
The communityâs solution is simple and effective:
a placeholder APK with an absurdly high version number (2,000,000,000).
Once installed, Google can no longer overwrite it.
1. Uninstall SafetyCore
2. Install the placeholder
3. Keep control of your device
GitHub: https://t.co/enSZbjA2Ho
Even blocking a Google component requires workarounds on stock Android.
Have you tried it? Does it hold up over time for you?
#Privacy #DeGoogle #Android #SafetyCore #DigitalSovereignty
1. YouTube AI mod bans you
2. You make a complaint
3. Human support can't restore your channel
4. You post it on đ
5. If the post goes viral, YouTube rushes to unban your channel and then says sorry in the comments
Introducing PULSE 3.0.
Ultra-light at just 27g.
A completely reworked internal structure - engineered to reduce weight while increasing structural rigidity.
Featuring our new UltraFlat System, enabling precision calibration of your mouseâs base flatness.
Available August 22nd.
Reminder that if you're on X, Grok also still trains on user data by default, and here's how to turn it off:
Go to Settings and privacy â Privacy and safety â Data sharing and personalization â Grok & Third-party Collaborators â Uncheck all of the boxes.
Fairphones lack the updates and hardware-based security features expected by GrapheneOS.
They're missing hardware security features needed to provide strong encryption for the vast majority of users not using a very strong passphrase. They're similarly missing hardware-based protections heavily used in GrapheneOS to protect from exploitation including remote attacks.
Fairphones have atrocious updates, privacy and security. They lag many months and even years behind on providing crucial standard privacy and security patches. They've failed to respond to the discovery of severe security issues including multiple of their devices using publicly available private keys for signing.
Fairphone lags months behind on providing Android Security Bulletin patches which are themselves delayed by months compared to when OEMs are first provided and allowed to ship the patches. They lag a year or more behind on major OS updates and count this as additional support time compared to other OEMs. For example, a final major OS update being delayed for 3 years is marketed as providing 3 more years of support compared to shipping it on time.
Fairphone 5 and earlier have an end-of-life kernel branch and the same fate awaits the Fairphone 6. Pixels move to newer kernel branches and are currently moving to 6.12 and then on to 6.18. Other OEMs are also beginning to use newer kernels and move to new branches. Linux LTS branches are only going to have 2 years of support going forward.
Fairphones are designed and assembled by an ODM. Fairphone has very limited involvement in engineering the devices. The working conditions and supply chain are also largely up to T2Mobile rather than Fairphone. Whether either of those are better than Pixels or especially iPhones should be demonstrated with evidence. There's extremely little information available on the working conditions, pay and other aspects of the assembly and supply chain for Fairphones.
Fairphone replaced their own open source OS without Google Mobile Services with /e/ as part of a close partnership with Murena. /e/ and Murena have repeatedly claimed highly private and secure devices mainly benefit criminals and pedophiles along with peddling other authoritarian talking points. They've falsely claimed GrapheneOS devices are mainly used by criminals and aren't useful to regular people. Fairphone has chosen to stand with this company included when contacted by the media about criticism.
https://t.co/BWM15UuiuU
https://t.co/QmrgmbRyVa
Despite the marketing, /e/ has very poor privacy and security. /e/ has their own invasive services with tracking, gives highly privileged access to default enabled Google services and doesn't keep up with basic updates. It greatly rolls back privacy and security compared to the Android Open Source Project.
https://t.co/4ntrvMGkFA
https://t.co/zEdqfnCH36
https://t.co/uWVPGoiEUs
Lmao not only did Wallhack think that releasing a $360 board was a play they even cut the affiliate commission and discount to 5% from 10% which now doesnât even constitute recommending their scamđ€Łthereâs no point in promoting their shit anymore𫥠Ryse out.
The host of the podcast, the one that said gamer rights are âcomplicatedâ without any context whatsoever, posted on Twitter: ââŠI want them to succeed. I am on the side of PlayStation, and Xbox, and all the companies. I want them to win.â
Oh, he is also sponsored by Sony.
Fair enough: heâs entitled to his bias. But maybe he should disclose it. And maybe the journalists reporting on this should disclose it too.
Websites can collect information on your graphics card and drivers and use it to track you.
Starting with update v1.93 for desktop and Android, Brave is rolling out new protections against this type of fingerprinting. https://t.co/LS6q5nQHQ1