XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, comp.mobile.android   
   From: robin_listas@es.invalid   
      
   On 2026-02-06 19:22, Maria Sophia wrote:   
   > Carlos E.R. wrote:   
   >> On 2026-02-06 11:55, Frank Slootweg wrote:   
   >>> Carlos E.R.  wrote:   
   >>>> On 2026-02-05 22:32, Maria Sophia wrote:   
   >>>>> Carlos E.R. wrote:   
   >>>>>> On 2026-02-05 19:47, Maria Sophia wrote:   
   >>>>>>> Privacy is a million things where most people only know four or five   
   >>>>>>> of those million things, and just one of those million things that   
   >>>>>>> most people don't know is to keep their contacts sqlite database   
   >>>>>>> completely empty on Android.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> We do know. We choose to disregard.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> But then you must ask for permission from each contact for you to   
   >>>>> store   
   >>>>> their private information on the cloud, which is a lot of work, is   
   >>>>> it not?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> No, I don't have to. Not in Europe.   
   >>   
   >> If we had to, lawyers would have jumped lot long ago at the yugular of   
   >> Google. And the regulatory bodies of several European countries. Right   
   >> now, France is suing some huge USA corporations for I don't remember   
   >> what exactly, related to privacy concerns.   
   >>   
   >> And in the USA Google is also being sued for something big, too.   
   >>   
   >>>   
   >>>    Not only that, but the contact information isn't stored "on the   
   >>> cloud"   
   >>> in the first place. But "on the cloud" sounds so conveniently scary, so   
   >>> why say where it's actually stored, when you can lie about it being "on   
   >>> the cloud"?   
   >>   
   >> Google would have to state in their conditions that they are going to   
   >> make use of the contact list for something akin to publishing it.   
   >>   
   >>>   
   >>>    BTW, "*on* the cloud" isn't that bad anyway, but I digress ...   
   >>>   
   >>>    As to the original 'Subject:': What happened to Wi-Fi?   
   >   
   > Hi Carlos (and Frank),   
   >   
   > I read EVERYTHING you both write, always, so I appreciate what you said.   
   >   
   > Carlos & Frank bring up excellent points that just having contacts in the   
   > sqlite location on Android (or in iOS) isn't a privacy hole by itself.   
   >   
   > Since I put together systems for a living, and since I used to have an   
   > engineering-level TSSI special access designation, I'm likely more tuned to   
   > privacy holes than most people, as I've seen "how they work out there".   
   >   
   > Most people, I'd wager, would be shocked at how much is hoovered about us.   
   > With that in mind, I will address Carlos' & Frank's stated concerns above.   
   >   
   > This is a technical summary of what actually happens with contacts on   
   > Android and why the privacy risks are not about the SQLite file itself   
   > but about the data flows around it.   
   >   
   > 1. What is Android's local-storage model for contacts anyway?   
   >    A. Android stores contacts in a local SQLite database accessed through   
   >       the ContactsContract provider.   
   >    B. The file is on the device, not on a remote server, so in that narrow   
   >       sense it is not "on the cloud" as Frank had astutely mentioned.   
   >    C. The real issue is not the file location but which processes can read   
   >       it and where they send the data. That locale could be "on the   
   cloud".   
   >   
   > 2. What about the pernicious sync adapters from the hoovering outfits?   
   >    A. Google, Samsung and other account providers register sync adapters   
   >       that copy the local contacts to their servers.   
   >    B. This includes backup, deduplication, and "smart" features that   
   >       require server side processing.   
   >    C. Once synced, the data is stored, replicated, and retained under the   
   >       provider's policies. Do you trust them? I don't. Not inherently.   
   >   
   > 3. What about third-party app access to your contacts list?   
   >    A. Any app granted READ_CONTACTS can query the entire address book.   
   >    B. Many apps upload the data to their own servers for contact   
   >       discovery, spam detection, or analytics.   
   >    C. This creates shadow profiles of people who never installed the app   
   >       and never consented to any processing. IMHO, that's rude.   
   >   
   > 4. I think it was Carlos who brought up the EU rules on privacy...   
   >    A. Under GDPR the people in our address book are data subjects and we   
   >       and the service providers are controllers or joint controllers.   
   >    B. Storing a friend's number so we can call them is usually covered by   
   >       legitimate interest.   
   >    C. Uploading their data to multiple foreign companies for profiling is   
   >       a different matter and often outside reasonable expectations.   
      
   Not done.   
      
   >    D. Purpose limitation and data minimization apply even if the user   
   >       interface makes the upload look routine.   
      
   I assume the contract and the rules are not broken. If they are, I trust   
   the authorities to impose a hefty fine.   
      
   ...   
      
   --   
   Cheers, Carlos.   
   ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)