Always assume Google is stealing all your data possible
this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2025
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Privacy
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Of course they do.
And if they don't, someone else does.
Google software is not secure, nor are they interested in preserving anyone's privacy against third parties or honoring their own terms about data sharing.
Your shit is everywhere.
If you login with Google on your phone with an OS made by Google then you can expect ALL the content on that phone to be potentially at least processed by that company which might including sending back data in some form.
That's not just Google or Microsoft, it's any operating system. The OS can see everything you can see and more. If you do not trust the maker of the OS then you have a problem that no application ran by that OS can solve. encryption in all its forms, e.g. encrypted disk, E2EE or homomorphic encryption do not matter if you are on an "end" (e.g. your phone or desktop) that you do not trust.
Yep.
Short answer: Yes
Meanwhile I applied for reimbursement on my failing Pixel 6a battery and Google keep asking for proof that I own this phone. They won't even allow it on RCS. The trust issue goes both ways.
I do find it suspicious that governments are targeting Signal's E2E encryption but not RCS, FB Messenger or WhatsApp. It's clear which ones are compromised.
FB messenger and WhatsApp use the same encryption on the message content. The difference is metadata. FB and WhatsApp keep all metadata of who users contact and when.
Download all your Google account data and find out.
The NSA certainly does keep a copy regardless.
Also the ISP, all three US mobile providers are currently in legal battles about selling user data, which is then bought by EVERYBODY
I know that SMS and MMS text messages are transmitted unencrypted, but are RCS text messages different? Serious question.
MMS is not a text message, it's a media message (that's what the M stands for).
Yes, RCS chats are encrypted (supposedly)
MMS is not a text message, it’s a media message (that’s what the M stands for).
See, that's interesting because I was always taught that "text message" is just an overarching term used to describe SMS and MMS. The notion that a text message is a synonym of SMS and only SMS is a new one to me!
Yes, RCS chats are encrypted (supposedly)
Good to know! Do you happen to know if the decryption keys are stored offline or on the carrier's end? Because if the latter, then okay it's more secure than SMS or MMS but only in the sense that some encryption is better than none. Lol.
I mean it's in the name. A message containing media and not text is simply not a text message. Many people use them incorrectly but it's literally in the name.
RCS is (supposedly) E2EE so keys are stored locally.
If you're able to successfully navigate the fucking maze of settings both on your device and your account, and stay up to date when Google silently opts you into new "features" so you can opt out of them, then probably not. But honestly, no one knows except Google, and they've given you every reason not to trust them.
In regards to RCS, probably the same as every other quasi-private messaging platform: the content of your messages is encrypted and private, but your social graph, who you talk to, when, and how often, is property of the corporation. Or if you're messaging someone on a Samsung or Apple device, then multiple corporations.
I’ve read that the encryption keys are stored on Google servers. If so, they could decrypt them if they wanted.
Exactly! If you don't hold the encryption key (private), then it's not really secure.