Which combines Google to lock down our data when the cell phone is in service
The life of each of us is stored in smartphones: family photos, contracts, extramarital chats, information on trading and Google has an update ready to encourage users to contact assistance (and protect themselves from legal troubles)
With the European Commission pushing smartphone manufacturers to increase customer support to increase the longevity of mobile phones and avoid futile replacements which only risk increasing the dispersion of WEEE (electronic waste) and that treasure of rare earths that each device hides under the hood, the developers are preparing new updates useful not only to encourage users to contact assistance, but also to shield themselves from any problems related to privacy.
IN CELL PHONES? THE LIFE OF EACH OF US
Because not only personal information connected to social media and chats passes through our cell phones (and maybe even some extramarital affairs on dating apps), not only photos and videos of private moments as well as emails and work documents are stored.
Financial information is also stored on our cell phones, linked to the investments and savings of an entire family unit. In short, just think about it for a moment and you understand why when smartphones are sent for assistance, the issue of privacy is so important and, on the manufacturers' side, a harbinger of technical-legal problems that are difficult to imagine.
SMARTPHONE AND ASSISTANCE: GOOGLE'S MOVES
According to what was reported by the specialized newspaper Android Authority , Google is working on Android operating systems to introduce a new feature called Repair Mode, which will allow you to hide the user's personal data, while still keeping the main functions of the phone active.
In reality, those who have opted for a Samsung model already have Maintenance Mode which offers similar services. In fact, once the function is enabled, the device will generate a secure environment in which all the user's data will be kept; However, this will not prevent technicians from conducting diagnostics to verify the functionality of the phone's system.
HOW THE REPAIR MODE WORKS
As has been possible for years on PCs, Repair Mode will allow you to start a new Android image by running it as "guest", without overwriting the existing version of the software, using the copy of the original operating system in order to create a new user account devoid of personal data. In short, a Generic System Image (GSI) to be activated / deactivated by entering the lock screen data, such as the PIN or the sequence chosen by the user.
The only problem for the user could concern the memory, given that cell phones often run out of internal and removable spaces at the end of their life (and in any case it is unlikely that those who send the smartphone for assistance leave the micro SD inside) and the header it does not specify whether this image will be stored in the cloud or whether it will be stored on hardware.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT FEATURE RELEASE
According to previews, the Repair Mode will be included in the next editions of Android 14 while it will debut in the next Feature Drop scheduled for December 2023 on Pixel devices complete with a reboot tutorial to allow all users to create their own backup to then exploit in a second moment, if the smartphone needs to be taken in for assistance.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/che-combina-google-per-blindare-i-nostri-dati-quando-il-cellulare-e-in-assistenza/ on Mon, 23 Oct 2023 10:23:52 +0000.