Thoughts on Google turning every device into a scanner for Find My Device? (lemmy.world)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by s38b35M5@lemmy.world to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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Received notice of a change to the service in my inbox today. Seems icky to me.

Devices in the network use Bluetooth to scan for nearby items. If other devices detect your items, they’ll securely send the locations where the items were detected to Find My Device. Your Android devices will do the same to help others find their offline items when detected nearby

Your devices’ locations will be encrypted using the PIN, pattern, or password for your Android devices. They can only be seen by you and those you share your devices with in Find My Device. They will not be visible to Google or used for other purposes.

ETA: here's the link to opt out: opt out of the network

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[-] tyrant@lemmy.world 22 points 6 months ago

A few days ago my wife's phone said there was an unknown airtag with her. It turned out to be an airtag in a kids friend backpack but for once it seemed like Google was looking out for the best interest of someone. It could have easily been a stalker trying to find where we lived.

[-] TurtleTourParty@midwest.social 6 points 6 months ago

There's a FOSS app for anyone who wants this functionality without Google

https://github.com/seemoo-lab/AirGuard

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this post was submitted on 08 May 2024

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