There just needs to be a law that these pop ups have to contain a clear, recent, full color, high definition headshot of the CEO/President of the company that profits from this.
This is why everyone is trying to have their app installed, there's a lot of information that the phone provides, and now you no longer get warned what data is available.
Same as for any app: crash reports, to fix issues.
I was curious so I installed it (it's the Google calculator app), and it just links to the generic Google privacy policy. There is nothing specific to the Calculator.
If we collect data and we do vaguely here’s what we might do which might include this other stuff that we might or might not do depending on what data is being collected.
I believe it's about how often the app is used. Advertisers label people with "gullible" and stuff like this, so when you use a calculator regularly, that may be a hint that you are not.
The reason the Linux kernel on Android does not have root and it is so challenging to hack the devices for the first time is because of how the user space is made.
The entire premise of a device where the user is not required to understand graduate level computer science, networking, and operating systems, is based upon a simple principal. The mobile operating system is designed so that the app developer is essentially a user with the same privileges as the user. In practice, they are at the same access level but have far more knowledge about what that means and what they can do with it.
The reason the root binary packages like su or sudo are not present is so that the app developer can not intentionally (or accidentally) take over the device completely. When the hardware manufacturer is done setting up the device's OS, they log out with a script that removes all administrative access and any packages that can be used to import a new kernel binary like wgetgit or curl.
The app developer is using a sandbox that is something like your user space sandbox. Within that app sandbox they have access to all kinds of stuff needed to configure almost any service, network, hardware access, or library they need in order to make their stuff work. This is what is being abused for data mining stalkerware.
With Android, all applications are loaded into memory on boot. The excuse given is faster boot up of applications. In practice, this is a small fraction if a second difference with no bearing on your persistent mental level of comprehension. These apps are like users all traveling along with you in the background 24/7. Indeed, the integrated battery is a hacking exploit to maintain continuous operations of the stalkerware and promote users never fully power cycling their devices so that these apps remain uninterrupted.
It is not about the calculator. It is about the stalkerware, which is ultimately ownership over a part of your digital person with the intent to manipulate, aka digital slavery. Search engines are not deterministic. There are only two relevant web crawlers and all search engines use these either directly or indirectly. This is the primary choke point where you can be easily manipulated with information, especially when combined with YouTube's link to one of these crawlers. This is not banner ads, this is political opinions, foreign policy, and manipulation of information down to the individual scale. It is theft of autonomy. It is an attack on the third pillar of democracy - press/freedom of information. It always has been since the dawn of the free stalkerware internet.
The fix is simple. The kernel modules and documentation for all hardware sold commercially must be open source. Anything less is ultimately theft of ownership, neo feudalism, and will lead to the end of democracy.
THAT is the true weight of this tiny little message and annoyance. It is a much bigger issue than it first appears to be.
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Seems like everyone is going out of their way to tell us how much they "value" our privacy. The value they place on it wouldnt even get a burp from an atm machine
In fairness, I've had to write a privacy policy due to store restrictions. It boiled down to "everything stays on your phone. I don't collect your data, I don't want your data, I don't even have a backend server that could be collecting your data. If you find my app sending telemetry of any kind, please tell me immediately because that should not be happening"
That being said, this doesn't exactly inspire confidence
A car is parked at the far end of the street. Hidden by the shadow of an old elm, and a reflection of the blue sky on the windshield, an agent patiently writes out his notes:
8:15 am A leaves house on foot
8:17 am B arrives driving and parks car (license plate: GYX 455), walks away
8:40 am B arrives, enters house
9:20 am A arrives on foot, leaves in car
This is called a stakeout. A form of surveillance.
IT folks will also recognize this as analytics data. You can almost see the json: timestamp, event name, metadata
As analytics data gets tagged to individuals, it becomes targeted surveillance.
Regular analytics is like a surveillance camera: you just see each person in a snapshot, all in the same place. You’re seeing the story of the place. Like a 7-Eleven, tracking when its customers come to decide when to make the coffee.
But modern analytics is more and more all the events about a person or cluster of people. That’s a lot more like the FBI following Hemingway, keeping a log of all his activities to build a profile.
I've published a simillar app to the play store (a calculator for keeping track of your stats in a game) and it got denied because it had no privacy policy, and I had to add one. Maybe that's why they need to include it?
I would believe that but I'm pretty sure this is the default Google calculator. It looks like the same one that's on my Pixel. And when I click on the privacy policy thing it takes me to Google's privacy policy so who knows what the calculator is doing.
Then perhaps it's because Google should follow their own rules? I mean, I still think it's dumb to have a privacy policy on a calculator, but if that's what they ask from other devs maybe they do this to look good?
Otherwise, getting tracked by a calculator is really a low 😅
My Xiaomi Redmi 11 keeps telling me the Calculator can't use the network (why?) and keeps asking me to accept the privacy policy.
Also the app wallpaper - the one that changes the locked screen background image (important complex stuff /s) - also keeps asking me to accept the privacy policy.
And, as far as my reading of the policy goes, these privacy policies are just the one, it's not a different one for each app.
They are just promising not to share with the government or any private entity that you are the idiot who had to use a calculator to find half of 17, just in case you were worried about someone finding out.
It's some fresh hellish bug that Android has introduced, it'll adapt the theme based on your wallpaper. It's a bug because it always chooses that 70's brown color. And yes, before you ask, you're not able to disable it. You have to reset your theme everytime you change your wallpaper.
You can actually change this in your settings. You will absolutely be able to find something of your taste. Usually your phone generates a few combinations for you to choose from based on your wallpaper. I do agree that this particular combination in this screenshot is ugly however.
Congratulations? If you use anything beyond stock apps it means you downloaded it, and accepted the privacy policy for it. Even with automatic updates, you logged in and accepted the policy as well. You don't want it? Erase the app. Freeze it, don't use it, whatever.
What's worse is that you don't even show the permission menu, you just show a notification.
Do what you want, but take at least responsibility for what you accept