Google automatically installed a Covid-19 tracker on phones in Costa Rica(restofworld.org)
restofworld.org
Google automatically installed a Covid-19 tracker on phones in Costa Rica
https://restofworld.org/2021/google-covid-costa-rica/
6 comments
Not the first or last time we've tolerated Google pushing unwanted or intrusive apps without notification or permission.
Shield TVs also got an unwanted and unremovable update this week, (with auto-updates off) putting the Google ads at the top of the homescreen. "Disable app" & "uninstall updates" buttons only work once, before a reboot reinstalls the update, and "disappears" those two pesky buttons that you surely pressed accidentally. The result is "suggestions" for shows & movies you don't own, from platforms & apks you don't have installed. As far as I know, it was the last major holdout among Android TV boxes thanks to Nvidia.
I don't know if Google had much wiggle room from the authorities that "requested" the covid tracking be pushed, but being Google, I don't really suspect it made a difference to them.
Especially if the apk results in sending home more analytics, whether directly or indirectly.
Shield TVs also got an unwanted and unremovable update this week, (with auto-updates off) putting the Google ads at the top of the homescreen. "Disable app" & "uninstall updates" buttons only work once, before a reboot reinstalls the update, and "disappears" those two pesky buttons that you surely pressed accidentally. The result is "suggestions" for shows & movies you don't own, from platforms & apks you don't have installed. As far as I know, it was the last major holdout among Android TV boxes thanks to Nvidia.
I don't know if Google had much wiggle room from the authorities that "requested" the covid tracking be pushed, but being Google, I don't really suspect it made a difference to them.
Especially if the apk results in sending home more analytics, whether directly or indirectly.
Why do we seem to better tolerate preinstalled or system-update app installs vs pushed installs?
I guess you might at least know what's getting installed by system updates ahead of time, but most don't pay attention to that and are only surprised once they see the new app icon.
I know we haven't really owned our own phones in some time, but this does feel like a turning point.
I guess you might at least know what's getting installed by system updates ahead of time, but most don't pay attention to that and are only surprised once they see the new app icon.
I know we haven't really owned our own phones in some time, but this does feel like a turning point.
Didn't they do that in America too? My Google Pixel 3 got an auto-update last spring that I didn't approve of nor ask for, that included a covid-19 tracking doodle. It said it would only be functional when both Bluetooth and location were turned on. I rarely turn either of those on at the same time but I hated the invasion of my privacy.
I noticed it installed one during the last system update, I think last Friday. Looking at the play store entry for it, seems like it's far from a unique case.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.ma.covid19...
Apple didn’t the same thing but prompted me to opt in or out when I did the update. It’s part of the OS.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/even-creepier-covid-...