this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2025
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I don't buy the malware arguement. Most major social apps function like malware (tracking location and anything they can). In the 90s, any app that did that (say to your laptop) would be treated as spyware.
No doubt many "legitimate" apps, including some of Google's own are spyware. This claims to be about the sort of malware that steals your bank account login.
I'd even speculate that most of the people involved are working in good faith; they think they're the good guys and they can be trusted with that kind of power. Nobody should have that kind of power though because it always leads to corruption.
I would love to see an interview with the team. Because you’re probally right.
Also the true malware is currently signed and it still reaches millions of people, most of the time downloaded straight from store.
It's only spyware if Google can't monetize it. Which is ironic if you think about it.
I would argue that was the definition even in the early 2000s. then it became a business model for famous companies.
True, even in the early 2000s, an application tracking your laptop locations would be treated as extremely dangerous spyware and the relevant could would be treated as a borderline criminal actor.