[19012] in Privacy_Forum
[ PRIVACY Forum ] WARNING: Turning off Google's risky "Find My
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (PRIVACY Forum mailing list)
Fri Jun 7 16:01:34 2024
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2024 12:51:34 -0700
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WARNING: Turning off Google's risky "Find My Device" network on your
devices is a dark pattern mess
I previously noted why I recommended you NOT participate in Google's
new "Find My Device" network. Despite their claims of anonymity and
encryption, there's just too much that can go wrong, especially with
Google making so many unforced errors under their current management.
Of course it's your choice.
Google had sent out a warning email that FYD would be enabled soon on
Android devices associated with the Google Account, and offered a link
where you could go to opt-out (yes, you're in by default). The email
claimed this would disable FYD on all Android devices associated with
the account.
This is not the case, at least for me. Despite my actions taken in
response to the email, my devices' settings are now showing that they
are enabled for FYD, and I've had to manually disable this. Does this
really work? I don't know.
What I DO know is that the Help pages associated with this go on and
on and on with complicated verbiage about different FYD modes and
activities that seem clearly designed to cause the reader to not
bother trying to read it, much less understand it.
Obviously, Google really, really wants you participating in this new
location sharing effort, which given their history in this regard is
not at all reassuring.
But it's so very Google these days. Yet another disappointment. -L
- - -
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com (https://www.vortex.com/lauren)
Lauren's Blog: https://lauren.vortex.com
Mastodon: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren
Founder: Network Neutrality Squad: https://www.nnsquad.org
PRIVACY Forum: https://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
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