this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2026
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Okay, thinking on this more, I have a very hot take here.
What's the big deal?
Google is seemingly offering a locally processed machine vision API to other apps, as far as I tell. This might manifest as some messaging service nagging you if you try to send nudes to someone, or filtering porn out of a feed. Or other "safety" features I suppose, like classifying slur-laden messages as abusive.
...But Google was most certainly doing this with Google apps already. Like the stock photo library most apps use.
If people are already using unprivate services for this kind of thing, honestly, they were digging their own grave, and this hardly moves the needle. All it does is make the spying/censorship more apparent.
I say those users need a cold bucket of water to the face, and this may provide it.
...But otherwise, it wont affect apps that dont use the API, right?
I don’t want the infrastructure built and forced onto users, even if it’s supposedly for benevolent reasons.
Software forced on me should manage necessary services for the functionality that I bought the hardware for.
Forcing this functionality through my phone means you’re dedicating some of my phones compute, memory, and storage toward something I don’t want. I’m paying for it every time I charge my phone.
Not to mention the fact that the actor in question, Google, isn’t trusted. I don’t want to help them beta test their shit on my hardware. I don’t want to help them succeed in whatever vision they have for this things future. I don’t trust that it won’t eventually be used to infringe on me.
If I wanted this functionality, I’m sure I could have downloaded it. That option wasn’t given, though… so I have to wonder why. Why am I being forced to have this shit?
Not gonna lie, this is a great meme...
I did say it was a hot take. I am not caffeinated yet.