this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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1025
Google’s ‘Secret’ Update Scans All Your Photos (www.forbes.com)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
259 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Per one tech forum this week: “Google has quietly installed an app on all Android devices called ‘Android System SafetyCore’. It claims to be a ‘security’ application, but whilst running in the background, it collects call logs, contacts, location, your microphone, and much more making this application ‘spyware’ and a HUGE privacy concern. It is strongly advised to uninstall this program if you can. To do this, navigate to 'Settings’ > 'Apps’, then delete the application.”

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (16 children)

Seems to be innocuous, but there's no harm in removing it. Next update, it'll be returned, so the better solution long-term will be (if you're rooted) is to use an application to freeze it, which effectively disables it and it should survive and update. If you delete the app, a new update will put it back.

[–] jayandp 5 points 1 week ago (6 children)

You can freeze using ADB/Shizuku as well. No root needed.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

how to freeze it on the app?

[–] jayandp 4 points 1 week ago

Using ADB:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.safetycore

If you have Shizuku and aShell/ShizuShell installed, then just run this command in aShell:

pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.safetycore

Alternatively, for a GUI method, setup Shizuku and then use an app like Hail or Ice Box

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