Google's reCAPTCHA Fails De-Googled Android Users, Impacting Privacy

The issue with Google is much worst than i tought.

Imagine this: you’ve diligently stripped down your Android device, eschewing Google Play Services for a leaner, more privacy-respecting experience. You’ve embraced custom ROMs like GrapheneOS, taking control of your digital footprint and reclaiming your autonomy. Then, you try to access a website. Instead of a simple check, you’re met with an impenetrable barrier, a digital “Sorry, you are not welcome here.” This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it’s the stark reality for a growing number of users thanks to Google’s latest iteration of reCAPTCHA.

Google auf dem Weg zur weltweiten Kontrolle von Smartphones?

Übersetzter Artikel (Originalquelle siehe unten)

"Google hat sein reCAPTCHA-System der nächsten Generation mit den Google Play Services auf Android verknüpft, was bedeutet, dass jeder, der ein von Google befreites Smartphone nutzt, automatisch bei der Verifizierung durchfällt, sobald das System beschließt, ihn zu überprüfen.

Diese Anforderung zwingt Android-Nutzer dazu, Googles proprietäres App-Framework in der Version 25.41.30 oder höher zu nutzen, nur um zu beweisen, dass sie Menschen sind.

Wenn reCAPTCHA eine als verdächtig eingestufte Aktivität meldet, verzichtet es auf die alten Bildrätsel und fordert Sie auf, einen QR-Code zu scannen. Dieser Scan erfordert, dass Play Services im Hintergrund läuft und mit Googles Servern kommuniziert. Wenn Sie GrapheneOS oder ein anderes benutzerdefiniertes ROM verwenden, das Googles Software entfernt, schlägt die Verifizierung fehl.

Google kündigte das umfassendere System, Google Cloud Fraud Defense, am 23. April auf der Cloud Next an und stellte es als Vertrauensplattform vor, die sowohl autonome KI-Agenten als auch herkömmliche Bots abdecken soll. Was Google dabei nicht hervorhob, war der Punkt, dass der Nachweis, dass man ein Mensch ist, nun die Unterwerfung unter seine proprietäre Überwachung erfordert."

https://reclaimthenet.org/google-broke-recaptcha-for-de-googled-android-users

#google #graphene #grapheneos #kontrolle #control
#GooglePlay #GooglePixel #GoogleCloudPlatform #monopol #captcha #captchas #captchaabfragen #samstag #deutschland #itsecurity #uberwachung #android16 #android #

Looks like #Google managed to sneak #PlatformAttestation into #Android after all, after their insidious #WEI proposal was shot down by pubic outcry. They've tied the nextgen #reCAPTCHA to the Android #PlayServices.

Upon detection of suspicious activity, you'll be asked to scan a QR code with Play Services running. The users of #degoogled Android like #Graphene will no longer be able to solve it. You'll be restricted to devices blessed by Google.

https://reclaimthenet.org/google-broke-recaptcha-for-de-googled-android-users

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Parenting kids often requires tricky compromises. When his friends started getting gaming consoles, we wanted to give our son the same opportunity so he wouldn't feel left out. However, we have a small apartment, no TV, and I wasn't keen on buying hot, loud hardware or getting locked into walled gardens. Working in sustainability sciences, I also try to avoid unnecessary resource consumption. I wanted to see if I could build a viable alternative to buying a dedicated console.

I ended up buying a used 4U Supermicro server on eBay (I lucked out and broke even by selling the included Tesla V100S GPU) and installed a 24GB RTX 4000 Blackwell. This machine sits 130km away, running on remote PV-solar power. I set up a cloaked Windows 11 VM with GPU passthrough, streaming via Sunshine over a rock-solid IPsec (IKEv2) tunnel.

For his device, I rescued an old 2017 Galaxy Tab S3. I flashed a clean ROM, set up TimeLimit via F-Droid (allowing 30 mins/day, 2 hrs on weekends), and attached a GameSir G8 controller.

I also wanted him to be somewhat independent, so I created a simple Home Assistant dashboard. When he wants to play, he taps a single button that sends an IPMI Redfish command to boot the remote server. A minute later, he opens Moonlight and is playing Forza Horizon 5 fluidly. A 2024 game running flawlessly on a 9-year-old tablet!

The flexibility is absolutely great. Whether we are traveling with an old laptop, using my Pixel phone (greetings #Graphene), or visiting his grandmother's TV, the setup just works. Best of all, I only have one central OS to maintain. The Xeon CPU has 72 cores and barely hits 9% usage during gameplay, so I'm planning to add a second GPU to share the server with a friend's family.

I am aware that having the technical capacity to build this is a unique privilege. I still wanted to share this to show that alternatives to constant hardware consumption exist. By pooling resources and reusing old tech, we can escape walled gardens without sacrificing the experience.

#HomeLab #Parenting #ScreenTime #Upcycling #SolarPunk #CloudGaming #Moonlight #Sustainability