Google Secretly Installed COVID-19 Tracking App on Users’ Phones (in MA)
Posted by freedomforall 2 years, 10 months ago to Technology
Excerpt:
"A number of Android phone users over the past weekend reported that a COVID-19 notifications system was automatically installed on their phones without warning or consent.
Google, in a statement to several news outlets, did not confirm or deny whether the “automatically distributed” system was installed without users’ consent, while noting that “COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on.”
“We have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to allow users to activate the Exposure Notifications System directly from their Android phone settings,” the tech giant said in a statement. “This functionality is built into the device settings and is automatically distributed by the Google Play Store, so users don’t have to download a separate app. COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on. Users decide whether to enable this functionality and whether to share information through the system to help warn others of possible exposure.”
It came after numerous users in Massachusetts claimed on Reddit, Hacker News, and in Google’s app reviews that the service was installed without them knowing."
"A number of Android phone users over the past weekend reported that a COVID-19 notifications system was automatically installed on their phones without warning or consent.
Google, in a statement to several news outlets, did not confirm or deny whether the “automatically distributed” system was installed without users’ consent, while noting that “COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on.”
“We have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to allow users to activate the Exposure Notifications System directly from their Android phone settings,” the tech giant said in a statement. “This functionality is built into the device settings and is automatically distributed by the Google Play Store, so users don’t have to download a separate app. COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on. Users decide whether to enable this functionality and whether to share information through the system to help warn others of possible exposure.”
It came after numerous users in Massachusetts claimed on Reddit, Hacker News, and in Google’s app reviews that the service was installed without them knowing."
