This belongs in current events because it is currently happening. A lot of people are affected and should care. I did search the forum and found nothing about this. A couple things about getting flip phones or degoogling or whatever, but this is specific.
A couple of years ago Apple introduced a 'feature' that would scan and upload every picture, ostensibly to look for cp. Because of the major invasion of privacy, they backed off and took it out. Google has implemented nearly the same thing, for ostensibly the same reason, in the recent weeks. It seems like a more sinister version of what Apple implemented for a few reasons. Of course everyone is now too focused on the actors playing on the political theater to care about anything real that actually effects their lives, so there is almost no blow back or awareness about this, like there was when Apple did it. Clearly things are moving along quiet smoothly and just as planned for the new fag order parasites, and total panopticon surveillance and control prison planet isn't too much further away. Keep watching the hand the magician drew your attention to, and not the other hand doing the actual trick. Back to the topic.
The app installed on your android phone is called "Android System SafetyCore" (lack of space not a typo on my part). This is the main culprit. It scans all your pictures and videos and sends them to Google. Confirmed so far. Don't know what else. There is a noticeable increase in performance when you uninstall it. I had noticed my phone was slow before I had found out about this, but I figured it was my phone, which is old af by phone and normie standards, but I will get into in a minute because it's relevant. If you are using android there is nearly a 100% chance this app has already been installed and is running right now. Unless the rollout didn't hit you yet, but I don't think they're doing a rollout. I haven't found anyone so far running android that didn't have it already.
To remove it, simply go to Settings > Apps > See All (or similar) > Show System (from the three dots top right) > Scroll down to this app and uninstall it.
It will reinstall itself, eventually. But this at least gives you reprieve.
I have a pixel 5, but I haven't used it since October. My carrier was bought by Verizon, and Verizon being Verizon, they pushed some kind of bullshit somehow, probably simply activating some Verizon process already on the phone (your phone has services for sprint, att, verizon, even if it's not bought from a carrier and it's unlocked, which my phone was not bought from a carrier and wasn't locked). So since October, I've been using an old pixel 2xl because I don't use my phone enough and I'm too lazy to have gotten around to unfucking the pixel5, even though I cannot make calls with the 2xl (more later). On both of these phones, the google play store is disabled. I have the apks of the few apps I actually use, and I install them. I do not update apps, ever. Like for years. The reason this is relevant is because people on 4chan and twitter have said that the app, "Android System SafetyCore," will reinstall through the play store, if you uninstall it. This is partly true.. It has reinstalled itself at least once on both my 2xl and 5, at a random interval of hours/days, but not through the play store, which as I said is and has been disabled for a couple years. So...
...This is concerning because it seems like they're just backdooring into your phone (or rather, fulling utilizing the backdoor that has always been there, in a pretty brazen way, which to me indicates something) to install this, with zero notice, consent, agreement, opt-out option, etc. The 2xl hasn't had an update in 5+ years, btw, and they are installing it on even a device that old, not though updates, not through playstore, not through anything visible. And they reinstall it when you remove it. It's not long before you need adb to remove or disable it, and pretty soon after that they'll just tie in the app/suite/functionality of this into the os, so disabling/removing will not be an option. The app I've mentioned is the main culprit, but there is actually a suite of bullshit that has been newly and stealthily installed. Some of it cannot be removed, without adb or root+terminal app or however you like to do it. So far I'm not fucking with them. I do not have a comprehensive list of these apps because I'm not so deep into android stuff that I have every single system app named com.gaystuff.xyz.whatever fucking memorized, but I know that there are some other new things. It's possible I have a full list of apps from either the 2xl, 5, or both, android version 11, from the last six to 12 months on one of my computers or backup drives. If/when I get around to finding it I will do a side by side comparison and make a list here, so the helper apps can be identified.
Since I had to 'fix' my pixel 5 eventually (because Verizon is the worst but they bought my carrier and I just haven't switched yet), I just installed lineage on it. I'm not a big fan of lineage, but it works. I've also tested crDroid, which I like, but their logo creeps me out. It's probably an operation. I have a second old pixel 2xl that was already running lineage, and that I do not believe got Android System SafetyCore installed on it (I'm juggling three phones here while trying to live my life, gimme a break, I don't remember if I have removed it from that device. If it reinstalls I will notice and update), and so far the pixel 5 with lineage did not get the app install, even with the playstore enabled (for testing), but I haven't had it on there that long.
Side note: I do use the voice command to set alarms at work occasionally (hold button, "set an alarm for 15 minutes," etc) and within the last couple weeks the phone is suddenly asking me if I want to switch to "gemini mode" or whatever, which, as you all are probably more aware than me, is google's chatgpt/grok/copilot. So again, things are being pushed to our phones, without any notice, without us interacting in anyway, with the play store and other google functionality disabled or uninstalled, and I forgot to mention I'm constantly connected to my pihole which is blocking a ton of google shit as well. So these two things seemed to have been pushed at about the same time.
There is an apk which is a dummy apk of this. Remove the real spyware, immediately install the dummy apk, and the real spyware should not be reinstalled. I will post more information about this at a later date. I am personally looking for a more thorough solution, although this is certainly a completely viable, reasonable, quick, and (in theory) long term fix. That last adjective I'm not 100% on board with, because of how sneaky the whole operation is, they may detect and install on top of and you'd be sitting there thinking you're safe. Also, need to look at the source of the dummy apk. Or make your own I suppose.
schizophrenic truth nuke paragraph removed for off-topic
There is an old thread about de-googling. So I'm not going to rehash any of that, besides what I've already mentioned and am about to mention. I'm not sure how up to date it is, but xda forums is fine. I'm pretty light on google services already (pico/nano gapps with a custom rom, or disabled/uninstalled a bunch of stuff from shell if using stock (but old, never past android 11), pihole, etc), but I'll probably be going full de-google soon. I barely use my phone because of how shit phones in general have become, and even the rooting/xposed scene seems to be just UI bullshit with zero functionality or utility. Fucking girl shit. Anyway, I will try to update if/when I find a rom that A: don't suck, and B: do not implement this actual spyware into their builds.
If I remember.
TL:DR:
Google installed spyware on your phone. For real. Not the normal spyware that most people just accept for the last 15 (80) years. You can uninstall it (for now) but it will reinstall itself. I do not know how it reinstalls itself yet, but however it does it is extremely invasive and gay. It is spying on you pretty hardcore, maybe more than just scanning your pictures and videos, not sure yet. There is also a noticeable performance impact. Remove asap and it's probably custom rom time if you're not already on one.
To remove it (TEMPORARILY), simply go to Settings > Apps > See All (or similar) > Show System (from the three dots top right) > Scroll down to this app and uninstall it.
