Google's SafetyCore Silently Installs on Android Devices, Raising Privacy Concerns

Google's SafetyCore, an Android system update enabling on-device image scanning, has been silently installed on devices running Android 9 and later since October, raising privacy concerns. Similar to Apple's Enhanced Visual Search, which scans photos for landmarks, SafetyCore focuses on blurring or flagging sensitive content. While SafetyCore operates on-device, users were not informed of its installation, leading to skepticism. Security developers note SafetyCore doesn't report data to Google but allows apps to classify content locally. Concerns remain over its closed-source nature. Users can disable SafetyCore in their phone's app settings.