Google’s latest flagship smartphone raises concerns about user privacy and security. It frequently transmits private user data to the tech giant before any app is installed. Moreover, the Cybernews research team has discovered that it potentially has remote management capabilities without user awareness or approval.
Cybernews researchers analyzed the new Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone’s web traffic, focusing on what a new smartphone sends to Google.
“Every 15 minutes, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL sends a data packet to Google. The device shares location, email address, phone number, network status, and other telemetry. Even more concerning, the phone periodically attempts to download and run new code, potentially opening up security risks,” said Aras Nazarovas, a security researcher at Cybernews…
… “The amount of data transmitted and the potential for remote management casts doubt on who truly owns the device. Users may have paid for it, but the deep integration of surveillance systems in the ecosystem may leave users vulnerable to privacy violations,” Nazarovas said…
Yeah. It’s gross to work so hard to DeGoogle a thing and pay Google for the privilege. Seems…suspect.
While we have little evidence that they’re doing hardware level snooping, we have absolutely no proof that they don’t.
We need open hardware, and we need it soon.
At least PinePhone is making promising progress.
I suspect we may also soon see a few riser boards and battery packs to turn a Raspberry Pi 0 into something phone like.