Google Bard blocks all European Union countries
Link: 9to5google.com/2023/05/11/goog…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3…
Google Bard is blocking all European Union countries, presumably due to issues with GDPR compliance of the AI chatbot.Ben Schoon (9to5Google)
#XMPP + #Google Summer of Code 2023
Two XMPP projects have been accepted!
It's #Moxxy: codeberg.org/moxxy/moxxy
#GSoC Page: summerofcode.withgoogle.com/pr…
XSF blog post: xmpp.org/community/gsoc-2023/
#GSoC2023 #interoperability #standards #federation
Wichtige Frage an Android-Entwickler bezüglich Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). Ist Google Firebase zwingend erforderlich für den Empfang von Push-Nachrichten? 👇
kuketz-blog.de/google-firebase…
Ich beobachte immer öfter die Verwendung von Google Firebase – eine Entwicklungs-Plattform für mobile Apps und Webanwendungen, die von ...Kuketz IT-Security Blog
Minecraft clones stealthily load ads on millions of Android devices.
grahamcluley.com/minecraft-clo…
#cybersecurity #adware #minecraft #google #googleplay #android
Boffins at McAfee have identified 38 Android apps in the Google Play store that unashamedly rip off the ever-popular gaming sensation Minecraft…Graham Cluley
Google has just updated its 2FA Authenticator app and added a much-needed feature: the ability to sync secrets across devices.
TL;DR: Don't turn it on.
The new update allows users to sign in with their Google Account and sync 2FA secrets across their iOS and Android devices.
We analyzed the network traffic when the app syncs the secrets, and it turns out the traffic is not end-to-end encrypted. As shown in the screenshots, this means that Google can see the secrets, likely even while they’re stored on their servers. There is no option to add a passphrase to protect the secrets, to make them accessible only by the user.
Why is this bad?
Every 2FA QR code contains a secret, or a seed, that’s used to generate the one-time codes. If someone else knows the secret, they can generate the same one-time codes and defeat 2FA protections. So, if there’s ever a data breach or if someone obtains access .... 🧵
#Privacy #Cybersecurity #InfoSec #2FA #Google #Security
Competition is just a click (and $45b) away
justice.gov/opa/press-release/…
> #Google pays $45 billion a year for contracts to lock out rivals, signing deals with “Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung; major U.S. wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; and browser developers such as Mozilla, Opera, and UCWeb— to secure default status for its general search engine and, in many cases, to specifically prohibit Google’s counterparties from dealing with Google’s competitors.”
So Google is now preventing people from removing location data from photos taken with Pixel phones.
Remember when Google's corporate motto was "don't be evil?"
Obviously, accurate location data on photos is more useful to a data mining operation like Google.
From Google: "Important: You can only update or remove estimated locations. If the location of a photo or video was automatically added by your camera, you can't edit or remove the location."
It's enshitification in action.
Source: support.google.com/photos/answ…
#technology #tech @technology #business #enshitification #Android #Google @pluralistic #infosec
The search giant is making compromises on misinformation and other harms in order to catch up with ChatGPT, workers sayDavey Alba (Bloomberg)
AI Drake just set an impossible legal trap for Google - The Verge
theverge.com/2023/4/19/2368987…
Google is caught between creators on YouTube wanting to protect their work from AI, and needing to build AI tools of its ownNilay Patel (The Verge)
Did your #Gmail data train the AI Bard? Bard itself claims your emails in Gmail trained the AI, Google denies this, saying Bard made a mistake.
But who is correct, #Google or #Bard 🤔 Check here for more:
tutanota.com/blog/posts/gmail-…
The undeniable truth we learn here is: Data is the new oil. It's time to protect yours! 🔒
Holy crap I just randomly ran across the way to disable those annoying "Log In With Google" prompts that appear all over the web.
1. Go go myaccount.google.com/data-and-…
2. Scroll way down to "Apps and Services"
3. Click on "Third-party apps with account access"
4. Uncheck the "Google Account sign-in prompts" option.
XMPP + Google Summer of Code 2023
Project presentation:
Moxxy - #Moxxy is an experimental, modern XMPP client written in #Flutter
wiki.xmpp.org/web/Google_Summe…
#XMPP #GSoC2023 #GSOC, #Google #interoperability #standards #federation #dart
XMPP + Google Summer of Code 2023
Project presentation:
Dino - @dino is a modern open-source Jabber/XMPP chat client for the desktop.
wiki.xmpp.org/web/Google_Summe…
#XMPP #GSoC2023 #GSOC, #Google #interoperability #standards #federation #vala
A privacy-friendly messaging app for the desktop. It uses the XMPP protocol and provides a clean UI with modern features.dino.im
XMPP + Google Summer of Code 2023
Project presentation:
@Monal - Monal is a modern #iOS and #MacOS XMPP chat client
wiki.xmpp.org/web/Google_Summe…
#XMPP #GSoC2023 #GSOC, #Google #interoperability #standards #federation #SwiftUI #Swift #ObjC
#XSF Announcement
We've been selected as a Google Summer of Code 2023 mentor organization! 🎉️
summerofcode.withgoogle.com/pr…
#XMPP #GSoC2023 #GSOC, #Google #interoperability #standards #federation
Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on bringing more developers into open source software development.summerofcode.withgoogle.com
When #GooglePlay introduced privacy labels, I was very curious to see how they managed to get reliable data about the #privacy properties of Android apps. I know first-hand how difficult and time-consuming privacy audits of #Android apps can be. Now Mozilla has taken a closer look, and it seems #Google doesn't even have reliable data.
foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog…
*Privacy Not Included researchers find discrepancies between Google Play Store’s Data Safety labels and privacy policies of nearly 80 percent of the reviewed appsMozilla Foundation
You can beat the price increases, but you’ll have to pay for a whole year of Google WorkspaceCraig Hale (TechRadar pro)
⚠️ 
#Google rolls out a so-called #privacy tool that replaces one form of trackers with another.
🔎 
Don't use Google's proprietary and distributions of #Android if you want to avoid #SurveillanceCapitalism.
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/0…
Rather than match iOS's tracking limits, Google built an additional tracking system.Ars Technica
The DoJ's lawsuit against Google for illegal monopolization of digital advertising dropped last week. It's a 150-page document 
#digitaladvertising #dataprivacy #Google #techpolicy
🆕 Here's my first attempt to unpack what is probably one of the most complete antitrust cases in ad tech of the last decade. My focus? 👀 How three ad pricing manipulation schemes described in the suit hurt publishers: techpolicy.press/how-google-ma…
Karina Montoya explores DOJ's complaint that Google engaged in illegal monopolization of digital advertising technologies.Karina Montoya (Tech Policy Press)
While #Google #Meta #Microsoft #Twitter & #Amazon are laying off tens of thousands of people to satisfy shareholders, #Tutanota continues to grow.
Welcome with us Wren, Johannes & Noah! 🥳
Join us if you are a developer wanting to fight for #privacy!
tutanota.com/blog/posts/team-2…
New year, new team members! With the start of 2023 we continue the growth of the Tutanota team: Welcome with us Wren, Johannes and Noah. All of these talented software developers are already working on improving our encrypted email client.Tutanota
Microsoft Corp, Microsoft's GitHub Inc and OpenAI Inc told a San Francisco federal court that a proposed class-action lawsuit for improperly monetizing open-source code to train their artificial-intelligence systems cannot be sustained.Reuters
Outside of Europe, #Google's monopoly gets slammed by India too. The ruling says that:
- Google must allow alternative app stores (like F-Droid or ApkPure) on the Play Store. This is really the step zero for fair competition: give everybody the same visibility, and let users pick what they like.
- Google should not force Android providers to install its own apps in order to be a certified Android provider. Step one for fair competition: competition only works if none of the involved party starts from a position of advantage.
- Google should make the Play Store available also on Android forks. Step two for fair competition: if the competitors' stores are available on your store, then your store should also be available on the competitors' forks, and users eventually will pick what they like the most. All the distribution asymmetries should be removed.
This is a good and balanced ruling that aims to create a level playing field by removing all the bumps that, as of now, strongly consolidate Google's position of dominance.
And it's going to hit Google quite badly too: India is the largest global market for Android (arguably on par with China), and Google may be on its way to lose its unfair advantage there.
9to5google.com/2023/01/20/goog…
A ruling in India will force the Google Play Store to distribute third-party app stores as soon as January 2023.Ben Schoon (9to5Google)
SUPL-Server nutzen Android-Systeme, um die GPS-Positionsbestimmung zu beschleunigen. Stellt sich heraus, dass die Domain "supl.vodafone.com" nur ein CNAME für "supl.google.com" ist. 🤦
Man meint also, man würde einen etwas datenschutzfreundlicheren SUPL-Server nutzen, aber am anderen Ende hockt dann wieder Google. 😑
mxtoolbox.com/SuperTool.aspx?a…
#android #supl #google #datenschutz #privacy
DNS and Network troubleshooting and diagnostic tools integrated into one sweet interface.MxToolbox
Dear conference organisers,
If you don’t want to limit your speakers to those who are fine with surveillance capitalism, please don’t make your call for proposals require an account with a surveillance capitalist.
#conference #callForProposal #CFP #google #surveillanceCapitalism #peopleFarming
We are considering to participate the #Google Summer of Code 2023!
If you are interested as a student, mentor or as #XMPP project in general reach out to us via xmpp.org/chat#converse/room?ji…
Our Wiki: wiki.xmpp.org/web/Google_Summe…
#GSoC #jabber #standards #interoperability #rtc
F-Droid: Mehr App-Stores!
kaffeeringe.de/2022/11/28/mehr…
#Appstore #fdroid #playstore #google
In China gibt es für Smartphones fünf bis zehn App-Stores – und keiner davon ist marktbeherrschend. Die meisten Chinesen haben mehrere installiert.Steffen Voß (kaffeeringe.de)
#Android without #Google made easy – with @shiftphones
android.izzysoft.de/articles/n…
(the little gap with "Rooting" aka Magisk will be filled soon™)
#noGoogle #googlefree #privacy
Like the well-known Fairphones, Shiftphones are modular devices. Right from the shop they ship with no bloat, just the minimal set of Google Apps are installed.IzzyOnDroid
Google muss für Ortungs-Schwindel nicht einmal 400 Millionen zahlen
Jahrelang hat Google Aufenthaltsorte von Android-Nutzern für Werbezwecke gespeichert, obwohl die User das abgeschaltet wähnten. 40 US-Staaten geben billig bei.
heise.de/news/Google-muss-fuer…
#google #android #standortdaten #werbung #smartphones
"Currently, the predominant business model for commercial search engines is advertising. But the goals of the advertising business model do not always correspond to providing quality search to users.
We expect that advertising funded search engines will be inherently biased towards the advertisers and away from the needs of the consumers.
Furthermore, advertising income often provides an incentive to provide poor quality search results.
In general, it could be argued from the consumer point of view that the better the search engine is, the fewer advertisements will be needed for the consumer to find what they want".
Quote: Sergey Brin / Larry Page, from the seminal 1998 paper that kickstarted the #PageRank algorithm - and #Google with it (see Appendix A).
Reading the paper that started it all after so many years is a quite interesting experience. 25 years ago they knew *exactly* what a search engine may have become if it chose the path of an ads-based business model. They were very aware of the conflict of interest that arises when you have to provide relevant results to the users, but also boost those that pay your bills.
In other words, were warning us about the risks of the business model that their own company eventually decided to embrace.
Back to #Firefox I go! Multi-Account Containers are a killer #privacy feature that only Firefox (and maybe derivatives) has access to.
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…
There's some helper add-ons to further silo #Facebook, #Twitter, and #Google. (That said, I use my own containers for Google to split my accounts)
Facebook: addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…
Twitter: addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…
Google: addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…
Download Facebook Container for Firefox. Prevent Facebook from tracking you around the web. The Facebook Container extension for Firefox helps you take control and isolate your web activity from Facebook.addons.mozilla.org
Googles Verbot alternativer Zahlungswege im Play Store ist auch in Indien illegal. Das kostet über 100 Millionen Euro.Daniel AJ Sokolov (heise online)
Do you spot the trick?
This is a cookie banner shown before using Google search in some countries.
"Reject all" is a straightforward option. It appears in the same size and color as "accept all." It uses bullets, simple and concise language, and visualization. It has links for further info. So far, so good.
But there is a trick. Do you spot what is it?
#privacy #cybersecurity #securityawarenessmonth #google
Are you serious right now? You do know what Google is, right? You do understand what their business model is? I thought NGI/NLnet was purportedly about finding and supporting *alternatives* to surveillance capitalists like Google, Meta, etc., not trying to improve their PR by perpetuating the myth that they’re generally a force for good who sometimes (often) make silly mistakes.
Do better.
#ngi #nextGenerationInternet #bigTech #google #surveillanceCapitalism #pr #NLnet
