It's funny how every one says Google respects your privacy.

I remember a few months ago, one of my manuscripts was removed by Google because it "violated the terms and services."

First of all, it's just a psychological crime thriller about murder. I read the terms and services and it said nothing about murder, so I didn't violate anything.

Second of all, assuming they removed it for the reason it was all bloody and about murder, how would they know that? Did they start snooping and read my manuscript?

Fortunately, it was recovered the next day, but if Google cares so much about your privacy, why would they read my document?

What do you mean removed from Google? Like Google drive?

@Froot
When I opened the document, it said it was removed because it violated the terms and services.

@Condor @Michelle and watch Ex Machina. It touches that exact topic.

@Michelle Ah ok, so Google drive I presume. Thx

Tbh I don't really mind being part of the training data as long as i'm warned about it. If they say something like "Our automated algo removed this document for t&c infringement. If you think this is an error please click here", I'd more than happy to write.

"... every one says Google respects your privacy"

Who is brainwashed enough to say something like that?!

Google thinks I was in the future

@Condor How wouldn't that be any good?

Oh and that link, how can one be sure that your data gets deleted for real? I'd consider believing that statement if Google wasn't one of the biggest data hogging companies in the world.

@Condor I use android without Google's services and even the apps that 'depend' on it work great!

You'll never convince me that having mass surveillance tools integrated in devices is a good idea.

@Condor Fair enough!

With the privacy beings thing of the past part I heavily disagree though. You can do so much to protect your privacy on so many levels.

@Michelle From what they've said, they DO scan shared documents as they see it as a more "public" resource and, according to them at that time, don't scan documents you don't share.

The incident in question was, from what I've read, because someone pushed something to prod that wasn't properly tested etc. Which made the AI harsher

@Condor Then you just switch to open source hardware :)

@Condor Let me rephrase.

Even if you don't have 100% open source hardware, a lot can still be achieved. If you tell me that all things I do to protect my privacy is invalid just because of the 'core' of some systems, sorry, I'd take that as an insult.

@Condor I mean it in a different way. Even a 'core' system wouldn't be able to pass through a hardware firewall without being detected for example. There are quite some measures you could take against such things. I'm going to call in @FrodoSwaggins, even if I'd end up being on the wrong side myself.

@linuxxx Disabling Google on android phones has the problem of shutting you out of play store, the place for apps. Obviously you can download bootleg copies from some shady site but you'll open up a bigger can of worms than you close that way. If you assume that Google is tracking your every move then why do you assume those bootleg apks to be clean? Every single one of them could be modified to steal your banking data, credit card number and whatnot. You won't know unless you read every single line of every single app's source code that you use

My point is that Google play might do a bit of tracking but at least there is inherit trust in their apps. They won't pull an identity theft on you while those dudes who upload those bootleg copies very well might

As for open source hardware, this is stupid. You'd put yourself back 10 years in technological development. There is no serious alternative to intel or AMD CPUs and AMD or Nvidia GPUs

@Froot Take a look at Yalp store :)

@linuxxx I tried, they don't even have a website. I looked for their app in the play store, doesn't exist. Well it does but it's a different app under the same name. All I managed to find is a github repo and some articles on it.

So how does it even work? Does it have a central server? How do you pay for apps like Plex for example? Who gets the money? To what account will the purchase be linked to? Who will hold your credit card information? This thing seems sketchy as hell, I'd be glad if you could explain how it works to me 😄

@Froot You could pay through the website (Google play) and login with your own credentials? The code is open so anyone can take a look at it. That's already more trustworthy than Google play (the app) imo since its open source.

@linuxxx Wait so you buy an app in Google play and then download from this thing?

Also trustworthiness to you is different to me. You're scared of Google, I'm scared of cyber criminals. So to me nothing will ever be more trust worthy than Google play for app downloads.

@Artemix Na it was Yalp. Linux recommended I looked I to it and to be honest I'm now quite curious how it works.

How does fdroid work btw? Like how do you buy paid apps for example?

@Artemix Ah ok, thanks.
I wasn't looking to donate but rather curious how the payment side of things works.

@Froot As a counter-argument there have been several cases of apps from the google play store having adware and rats in them, infecting millions of people. I wouldn't truly trust google in that way if I were you.

@Froot Oh, and Yalp's default is to use a built-in google account and not have the option to buy paid apps. But you can use your own credentials to get acces to apps you've bought aswell.

@Numinex Well paid apps are quite important to me at least.

Also, everything that's shoddy on Google play is also shoddy on those other stores since they take their apks from Google play as I understand. And then there's the risks that third party app stores add on their own.
So to me the third party appstores are like a shoddy superset, they take all the bad parts from Google play and then add their own 😄

@linuxxx have you ever flown in an airplane?

@windlessuser Why the question?

@linuxxx airplanes are mostly autonomous, though the pilots still monitor the systems. The software is entirely proprietary. It is possible for the pilot to get locked out. How do you trust that system, one that holds your very life?

@windlessuser I can't verify it and although I find that uncomfy, I can't change it so fuck me.
I try to use (f)oss whenever I can actually choose.

And yeah, I've flown quite some times :)