Re: chromebooks

[Jean Louis]

* Óscar <osperval@gmail.com> [2020-11-06 19:16]:
> Hi. Here a newbie!
> 
> This is a inquiry about Chromebooks to the community.
> 
> Recently, the public school that my 9-year-old daughter attends has
> imposed on us the acquisition of a certain Chromebook.

Here is reference list to give to people:
https://www.gnu.org/education/education.html

And when referencing you should give specific references so that
people can easier understand. I gave you general link, but not
specific reference. It is for you to search for it.

You can use that reference to give to other parents, teachers,
headmaster and central school ministry.

> I have not found any articles or conversations about it, but I am
> first concerned about the landing of the Google empire in public
> schools with the support of public institutions.

That alone, if it is beneficial or useful, is not a problem.

Problem is with non-free software, if there is such and safety.

Children' activity shall not be tracked. Especially if you are in
other country but Google in US, you should maybe appeal on the sense
of sovereignity as why would children in one country eventually depend
on server-side computing in other country. I am referring to using
Google products. For safety reasons it makes no sense and gives
absolutely no legal guarantee that data of children is protected.

> In this case, it is an uncritical acceptance of the entire Google
> system, including the teachers.

It means that Google knows how to market its products.

> They celebrate all the comforts the integrated package offers. The
> use of free software does not even cross their minds.

Prepare the similar system as free software and demonstrate it.

> Second, I am concerned about the tracking and acquisition of data and
> metadata about the content that my daughter accesses throughout her
> educational stage.

Everybody should be concerned.

> Information that, I suppose, will be recorded on some distant server
> and from which their knowledge, character, mistakes, tastes and
> preferences, etc. can be inferred, thus creating a very personal,
> precise and intimate profile from such an early age.

Not only that. That is mild consequence. It can be used for
atrocities. People don't believe it until it happens. Majority is not
concerned of large data collection companies like Google, Facebook,
etc. Snowden's work apparently is not enough as people continue using
dubious abusive software and also in that manner endanger their
friends who use it or not. As people communicate with friends.

> Maybe in the future the guys at Google will "not be evil.". But what
> if they will be?

That sounds unbelievable. 

> My questions to the community are: what do you think about it? Do you
> think there is a compromised exposure of minors in their educational
> stage?

It depends of the product:

- if it asks you to make any account to use software, I would say NO,
  as my child does not go to school to submit its behavior to some
  foreign unknown corporation. When I say "unknown" that is what it
  is. The fact that Google as word or term is known to majority does
  not make the company known.

  Even when buying bread, I like to choose good bakery. I do not buy
  everywhere. I am looking who is making it fresh, and if there is
  good hygiene in the kitchen. Especially I am looking into faces.

  When repairing a car I am going to those technicians I know they
  will do it right. When cutting hair I am choosing favorite hair
  dresser.

  Because I know those people. And because I know those others which I
  do not visit and which services I do not accept due to bad
  experience.

  Now when exposing child to Google maybe through automatic access
  through Chromebook (you did not explain what Chromebook does) then
  such exposure and remote computing is done by absolutely unknown
  company.

  You may ask teachers is anybody from Google willing to come to your
  place and guarantee safety of your children?

  You may ask those with decision power, is there any contract
  guaranteeing the safety of data of children?

  You may look into terms and conditions and show to the school that
  school submitted automatically to transfer of data to other country.

> What sinister scenarios can you think of based on this data
> collection?

It can be used for atrocities. Mass killing of people. This may now
sound harsh for many who are not affected. But problem is that
everybody on this Earth can be affected.

Very particular case is of the war criminal here:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=general+killed+himself+hague&atb=v154-3am&ia=web

He was involved in mass atrocities. His defense team was keeping black
lists of people in that area. Those black lists were telling: who has
which nationality, where the person lives, who are their family
members of which nationality. Based on nationality people were killed
in the war. This is not connected directly to Google. But Google does
not guarantee safety of data. So the leaked data can be sold
underground to anybody, governments, thieves, criminals, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Google_data_breach

Government in other country can then target individuals for various
reasons. Your child is now small, profile will be created over
time. There is no guarantee that it will not be leaked.

There is also no guarantee that some of 100,000 Google employees will
not do something malicious. Like obtaining pictures of children for
whatever purposes.

> Do you know any specific case of abuse of privacy in similar
> contexts?

Google is part of PRISM Surveillance Network:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program)

Google admits it sent private videos in Google Photos to strangers
https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/4/21122044/google-photos-privacy-breach-takeout-data-video-strangers

Data Leak Warning Issued To Millions Of Google Chrome And Firefox
Users
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2019/07/19/data-leak-warning-issued-to-millions-of-google-chrome-and-firefox-users/?sh=4cfdf5363ded

Google Fined $57 Million in France for Breach of Data Protection Rules
https://variety.com/2019/data/global/google-fined-57-million-in-france-for-breach-of-data-protection-rules-1203113722/

I am sorry, the last above link should be enough to determine of
company is criminal or not. Google got enough time to remedy it, they
refused it. They are criminal.

Google is investigating the source of voice data leak, plans to update
its privacy policies
https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/11/google-is-investigating-the-source-of-voice-data-leak-plans-to-update-its-privacy-policies/

A New Google+ Blunder Exposed Data From 52.5 Million Users
https://www.wired.com/story/google-plus-bug-52-million-users-data-exposed/

Google for months kept secret a bug that imperiled the personal data
of Google+ users
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/08/google-overhauls-privacy-rules-after-discovering-exposure-user-data/

Google Exposed User Data, Feared Repercussions of Disclosing to Public
https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-exposed-user-data-feared-repercussions-of-disclosing-to-public-1539017194

How to configure a Chromebook for ultimate privacy
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-tip-how-to-configure-a-chromebook-for-ultimate-privacy/

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/11/guide-chromebook-privacy-settings-students

Jean