Google Accused Of "Force-Installing" COVID Tracking App On Phones | “Force-installed with no authorization or approval. App is hidden on the device to prevent uninstallation.”

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[–] • 1 pt

3y

Many complained that the app had ‘force installed’ on their phones

Google issued a statement to 9to5Google, which does not addressing the claims that the app stealth installed on phones.

The statement reads:

We have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to allow users to activate the Exposure Notifications System directly from their Android phone settings. This functionality is built into the device settings and is automatically distributed by the Google Play Store , so users don’t have to download a separate app. COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on. Users decide whether to enable this functionality and whether to share information through the system to help warn others of possible exposure.

ARS Technica notes that there are two different versions of the Mass Notify app on the Play store, and that one only has around 1000 installs and no complaints that it auto-installed, where as the other has been slammed by people claiming they didn’t ask for it to appear on their phones and has over a MILLION installs. That is odd because only 6.8 million live in the State, and if 50% of them have Android phones (which they don’t) then around a third have supposedly downloaded the app themselves.

“Did they roll this out to every device in Massachusetts?” ARS Technica questions.

The report notes “Both apps are listed under the ‘MA Department of Public Health’ developer account, which—uh— does not exist ? The link for the developer just 404s, which really does not inspire confidence in the app’s legitimacy.”

Others reported that the auto-installed version of MassNotify does not actually have app icon or a public health statistics UI, and only appears in the phone’s system settings under the title “Massachusetts Department of Heath.”

At best the rollout can be described as odd, and at worst a creepy attempt to stealthily track the movements of everyday Americans.

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Many complained that the app had ‘force installed’ on their phones Google issued a statement to 9to5Google, which does not addressing the claims that the app stealth installed on phones. The statement reads: We have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to allow users to activate the Exposure Notifications System directly from their Android phone settings. **This functionality is built into the device settings and is automatically distributed by the Google Play Store**, so users don’t have to download a separate app. COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on. Users decide whether to enable this functionality and whether to share information through the system to help warn others of possible exposure. ARS Technica notes that there are two different versions of the Mass Notify app on the Play store, and that one only has around 1000 installs and no complaints that it auto-installed, where as the other has been slammed by people claiming they didn’t ask for it to appear on their phones and has over a MILLION installs. That is odd because only 6.8 million live in the State, and if 50% of them have Android phones (which they don’t) then around a third have supposedly downloaded the app themselves. “Did they roll this out to every device in Massachusetts?” ARS Technica questions. The report notes “Both apps are listed under the ‘MA Department of Public Health’ developer account, which—uh—**does not exist**? The link for the developer just 404s, which really does not inspire confidence in the app’s legitimacy.” **Others reported that the auto-installed version of MassNotify does not actually have app icon or a public health statistics UI, and only appears in the phone’s system settings under the title “Massachusetts Department of Heath.”** At best the rollout can be described as odd, and at worst a creepy attempt to stealthily track the movements of everyday Americans.

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[–] • 1 pt

3y

Oh it's definitely ridiculous and totalitarian. But it's stock android. I have two views on this that while they do conflict with each other, they only do so in agreement of context. It's not cognitive dissonance. I think there should be a legal remedy for this, but I also think people should have understood this was going to happen by using a stock device.

Thanks for the further info though.

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[–] • 0 pt

3y

https://youtu.be/KqzAjEWfrAc?t=195

Debian mobile can't be fully operational soon enough https://wiki.debian.org/Mobile#Debian_on_mobile_devices

Debian is the universal operating system. Thus, it should run on mobile devices. This wiki page is a tool to help bring Debian to mobile platforms.

It would be great if Debian could run on many kinds of mobile devices: iPhones, Android capable HW, Windows Mobile HW, tablets, but this is very unlikely to happen anytime soon for the majority of devices.

Devices built to run FLOSS stacks are more promising alternatives, for example PinePhone and Librem 5.

Debian on mobile devices should have GUI capabilities, appropriate to the hardware capabilities.

It would also be great if Debian could run applications written to be native to the original OS for the hardware. This will enable Debian to serve the many people in society who want to easily use those applications.

Debian might benefit from having its own User Interface, or UIs, based on progression from the desktop Debian UIs - ex, GNOME or KDE. It would be great if the GNOME, KDE and other GUI communities could come to agreement on a common UI for Debian, to save unnecessary duplication of development effort, both of the Debian UI, and application software for Debian.

...

"should", "might", "it would be great"... "Unlikely"...

Yeah. We're not there yet, obviously.

Because, rooting a phone, kind of fucks up the security model. Warranty issues and risk of bricking the phone aside, updates can eventually no longer work.

https://www.wikihow.com/Jailbreak-Your-Phone

Rooting your phone gives you superuser permissions over your phone. The process for rooting your phone varies quite a bit from one model to the next. It also takes away many of the security features that Google has put in place. This puts your phone at greater risk of viruses and malware. Some apps and services may stop working on a rooted phone. Many carriers do not support rooting your phone and may deny access to their network. In most cases, rooting your phone will void the warranty from your carrier or phone's manufacturer. Continue at your own risk. Many phone models and carriers do not allow you to unlock the bootloader. If you are unable to unlock the bootloader, you may be able to find an unofficial way to unlock your bootloader at https://forum.xda-developers.com/. If you can't find an unofficial way to unlock the bootloader on your phone, it is unlikely you will be able to root your phone. Unlocking the bootloader on Samsung phones will break the Knox security system. You will not be allowed to use any Samsung services such as the Galaxy Store, Samsung Pay, Samsung Cloud, etc. Additionally, the process will wipe all data from your phone.

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https://youtu.be/KqzAjEWfrAc?t=195 Debian mobile can't be fully operational soon enough https://wiki.debian.org/Mobile#Debian_on_mobile_devices Debian is the universal operating system. Thus, it should run on mobile devices. This wiki page is a tool to help bring Debian to mobile platforms. It would be great if Debian could run on many kinds of mobile devices: iPhones, Android capable HW, Windows Mobile HW, tablets, but this is very unlikely to happen anytime soon for the majority of devices. Devices built to run FLOSS stacks are more promising alternatives, for example PinePhone and Librem 5. Debian on mobile devices should have GUI capabilities, appropriate to the hardware capabilities. It would also be great if Debian could run applications written to be native to the original OS for the hardware. This will enable Debian to serve the many people in society who want to easily use those applications. Debian might benefit from having its own User Interface, or UIs, based on progression from the desktop Debian UIs - ex, GNOME or KDE. It would be great if the GNOME, KDE and other GUI communities could come to agreement on a common UI for Debian, to save unnecessary duplication of development effort, both of the Debian UI, and application software for Debian. ... "should", "might", "it would be great"... "Unlikely"... Yeah. We're not there yet, obviously. Because, rooting a phone, kind of fucks up the security model. Warranty issues and risk of bricking the phone aside, updates can eventually no longer work. https://www.wikihow.com/Jailbreak-Your-Phone Rooting your phone gives you superuser permissions over your phone. The process for rooting your phone varies quite a bit from one model to the next. It also takes away many of the security features that Google has put in place. This puts your phone at greater risk of viruses and malware. Some apps and services may stop working on a rooted phone. **Many carriers do not support rooting your phone and may deny access to their network.** In most cases, rooting your phone will void the warranty from your carrier or phone's manufacturer. Continue at your own risk. Many phone models and carriers do not allow you to unlock the bootloader. If you are unable to unlock the bootloader, you may be able to find an unofficial way to unlock your bootloader at https://forum.xda-developers.com/. If you can't find an unofficial way to unlock the bootloader on your phone, it is unlikely you will be able to root your phone. **Unlocking the bootloader on Samsung phones will break the Knox security system.** You will not be allowed to use any Samsung services such as the Galaxy Store, Samsung Pay, Samsung Cloud, etc. Additionally, the process will wipe all data from your phone.

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[–] • 1 pt

3y

Debian mobile can't be fully operational soon enough https://wiki.debian.org/Mobile#Debian_on_mobile_devices

Full agree. A good quality pure linux OS phone is so wanted. All your points are very meaningful, which is why I have two views on this that conflict in some ways unexplained. I spent years and years and years with a flip phone from like 2000. Whose most advanced feature was bluetooth.

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