this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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Per one tech forum this week: “Google has quietly installed an app on all Android devices called ‘Android System SafetyCore’. It claims to be a ‘security’ application, but whilst running in the background, it collects call logs, contacts, location, your microphone, and much more making this application ‘spyware’ and a HUGE privacy concern. It is strongly advised to uninstall this program if you can. To do this, navigate to 'Settings’ > 'Apps’, then delete the application.”

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[–] mctoasterson@reddthat.com 12 points 1 hour ago

People don't seem to understand the risks presented by normalizing client-side scanning on closed source devices. Think about how image recognition works. It scans image content locally and matches to keywords or tags, describing the person, objects, emotions, and other characteristics. Even the rudimentary open-source model on an immich deployment on a Raspberry Pi can process thousands of images and make all the contents searchable with alarming speed and accuracy.

So once similar image analysis is done on a phone locally, and pre-encryption, it is trivial for Apple or Google to use that for whatever purposes their use terms allow. Forget the iCloud encryption backdoor. The big tech players can already scan content on your device pre-encryption.

And just because someone does a traffic analysis of the process itself (safety core or mediaanalysisd or whatever) and shows it doesn't directly phone home, doesn't mean it is safe. The entire OS is closed source, and it needs only to backchannel small amounts of data in order to fuck you over.

Remember the original justification for clientside scanning from Apple was "detecting CSAM". Well they backed away from that line of thinking but they kept all the client side scanning in iOS and Mac OS. It would be trivial for them to flag many other types of content and furnish that data to governments or third parties.

[–] Denalduh@lemmy.world 9 points 1 hour ago (2 children)

I didn't have it in my app drawer but once I went to this link, it showed as installed. I un-installed it ASAP.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.safetycore&hl=en-US

[–] danciestlobster@lemm.ee 1 points 5 minutes ago

I also reported it as hostile and inappropriate. I am sure Google will do fuck all with that report but I enjoy being petty sometimes

[–] woobat@midwest.social 2 points 1 hour ago

thank you for posting this. it's not yet installed on my phone for some reason, but i will be checking this page every couple days to make sure it stays that way.

[–] Punchshark@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 hour ago

Fuck these cunt

[–] Harbinger01173430@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Basically, ot scans all files and shit like an antivirus does on windows? Oks

[–] Xanza@lemm.ee 6 points 3 hours ago (4 children)

Seems to be innocuous, but there's no harm in removing it. Next update, it'll be returned, so the better solution long-term will be (if you're rooted) is to use an application to freeze it, which effectively disables it and it should survive and update. If you delete the app, a new update will put it back.

[–] jayandp@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

You can freeze using ADB/Shizuku as well. No root needed.

[–] Xanza@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

If you freeze via non-room methods, updating the apk will re-enable it. So it's the same situation as just removing the apk--it'll basically re-enable itself.

[–] jayandp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 32 minutes ago (1 children)

I've never had an app frozen through ADB get auto-updated by the Play Store or Google Services and get re-enabled because of it. An app with an update available will even disappear from the Update list if disabled, and in order to update it you have to enable it first.

[–] Xanza@lemm.ee 1 points 21 minutes ago

Freezing an app in an non-root fashion doesn't do anything special. It's moved to a different location and is effectively "removed" from a runnable state. The OS shows it as disabled/removed, but the files are still there. Newer versions of android (14+) will recognize applications it thinks are necessary (like this one, from Google) are moved/disabled and will pull a new apk during the upgrade process. It effectively re-installs the app.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

how to freeze it on the app?

[–] jayandp@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago

Using ADB:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.safetycore 

If you have Shizuku and aShell/ShizuShell installed, then just run this command in aShell:

pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.safetycore 

Alternatively, for a GUI method, setup Shizuku and then use an app like Hail or Ice Box

[–] douglasg14b@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I don't see it on the app store to remove anymore

[–] jayandp@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 hour ago
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[–] PokerChips@programming.dev 2 points 2 hours ago

And interestingly enough my phone crapped out on this post. But at least I was still able to read the the post.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 9 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Well then I hope they like seeing my butthole.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 7 points 3 hours ago

My older brother swipes through your phone's photos without asking, so I put some colonoscopy pictures in there. He hasn't tried to look at photos on my phone since.

Oh Google what have you done to yourself.

[–] CaptKoala@lemmy.ml 14 points 4 hours ago (4 children)

Thanks for bringing this up, first I've heard of it. Not present on my GrapheneOS pixel, present on stock.

I suppose I should encourage pixel owners to switch from stock to graphene, I know which decide I rather spend time using. GrapheneOS one of course.

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[–] Whippygoatcream@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Hope they like all my dick pics

[–] EndofLife@feddit.org 3 points 1 hour ago

Don't worry they won't!

/Burn

[–] potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 1 points 2 hours ago

Interestingly I don't have it on my stock samsung phone. I haven't updated it since oneui 6. Is safetycore installed by update or by GMS?

[–] LotrOrc@lemmy.world 16 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

I just un-installed it

Anyone know what Android System Intelligence does? Should that be un-installed as well?

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Jesus Christ they're like bed bugs

Is it too much to ask that my phone only contain the shit that makes it work, and not anything else?

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[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 1 points 2 hours ago

Samsung lets me uninstall it now problem.

[–] chilicheeselies@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

Jesus thanks for posting this. Found it on my LG ThinQ.

Anyone have a fairphone? Thoughts about it?

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