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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday July 28 2019, @10:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the Using-mosquitoes-to-stop-trains dept.
An Anonymous Coward writes:

Australia's consumer watchdog has handed down 23 proposed changes in a new report into the behaviour of the world's biggest tech giants. If adopted, tech giants will be required to take the collection and use of user data more seriously. The recommendations include creating an independent ombudsman, a new specialist arm named the "ACCC digital platforms branch" for proactively investigating anti-competitive conduct, upgrading the Privacy Act, improve handling of fake news, and allow users to select their default search engine and browser on Android. The intent is to bring Australia in line with the protections the US and Europe have for user privacy.

Maybe they will finally make it law that users get root access to their devices by default.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by darkfeline on Sunday July 28 2019, @09:23PM (7 children)

    by darkfeline (1030) on Sunday July 28 2019, @09:23PM (#872406) Homepage

    Default root access is a terrible idea.

    Imagine all of the people you know. Your boss, coworkers, friends, family, people on the bus, in the coffee shop. Imagine that all of their phones had default root access. Imagine all of the stuff they do on their phones, the apps they install, the websites they visit. They probably do their banking via an app and visit questionable porn sites.

    Call 911, that pain in your chest right now is a heart attack.

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  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday July 28 2019, @09:54PM

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Sunday July 28 2019, @09:54PM (#872422)

    Oh gods, I would be so busy.

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday July 29 2019, @01:07AM (2 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 29 2019, @01:07AM (#872482) Journal

    Imagine all of the people you know. Your boss, coworkers, friends, family, people on the bus, in the coffee shop. Imagine that all of their phones had default root access. Imagine all of the stuff they do on their phones, the apps they install, the websites they visit. They probably do their banking via an app and visit questionable porn sites.

    Yes, it would happen. Ideally, at most once for every person - unless the person is a moron and doesn't learn the lesson from their own experience.
    Which, in practice, leads to... "you can't prevent stupid by using a computer" (i.e. "no root access" is useless to prevent stupidity, the human nature will invent better stupids)
    Once you internalize this, you start understanding that "No root access" for the user is actually a mean towards an end which is totally different from "for the prevention of stupid".

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday July 29 2019, @06:55PM (1 child)

      by nitehawk214 (1304) on Monday July 29 2019, @06:55PM (#872768)

      Yes, it would happen. Ideally, at most once for every person - unless the person is a moron and doesn't learn the lesson from their own experience.

      So, for many people this will happen a great many times.

      --
      "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday July 30 2019, @05:18AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 30 2019, @05:18AM (#873025) Journal

        So, for many people this will happen a great many times.

        Which, in practice, leads to... "you can't prevent stupid by using a computer". But I repeat myself.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 29 2019, @07:38AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 29 2019, @07:38AM (#872552)

    Swap Android for Windows. Or Linux. Or Mac.

    Does.this still hold water?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 29 2019, @08:27AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 29 2019, @08:27AM (#872560)

    Let's remove about:config while we're at it because users can't be trusted with that much power

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 29 2019, @08:36AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 29 2019, @08:36AM (#872561)

    I think you read that rong
    It means that users can flip an option, like the existing 'allow third party installers', to get root access.
    Most people won't notice it unless they need it. Maybe some app like a firewall will ask for it.
    Worst case scenario is that the phone will need to be reset.