Can confirm the issue.
@Proton_Team please fix this ASAP. Even the average app with 12 trackers and ads everywhere do not rely on Play Services for camera access. Never once saw an app use that way.
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Hi all, here’s what’s actually happening under the hood here.
The document scanner on Android uses Google Mobile Services to capture and process the image, but that processing happens entirely on-device.
The scanned file is passed back to the Proton Drive app locally before anything gets uploaded to Proton’s servers. GMS in this context is acting as a camera/processing layer, not phoning home to Google.
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thanks for claifying, is it a phased rollout? As I dont see it on my device.
also for all your (proton) offerings, the apk on your site as well as fdroid is always a good few weeks behind Google play store version, any reason for that and do you have plans to improve the situation?
Why not to embed open libs and do it directly inside Proton Drive?
Because google services is proprietary and we cannot be sure they won’t “leak”. Plus i don’t feel comfortable giving camera access to Google
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While I trust your word that it happens on-device, the obvious response is why not implement something else for document scanning?
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Why would you expect Proton to ‘reinvent the wheel’ so to speak, when the method they use isn’t a privacy or security issue?
I didnt expect this at all. I reiterated what @anonymous580 said
Whether that’s reinventing the wheel, i wouldnt know. It’s not like I am employed in the tech space. It’s just obviously unexpected to see Proton, a supposed competitor of Google, use GMS let alone with required camera permissions. I’ve used other document scanners and they have never asked me to allow Google Play services camera access.
Why does it have to be a privacy or security issue? Relying on google dependencies is a criticism of its own.
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It just seems like you and @anonymous580 only real complaint is that its Google. Your not advocating for a different result because
is already the best result you could hope for. Protons resources are better spent elsewhere then re-developing an app that will end up functioning the same way just to avoid saying it uses Google in some minor capacity.
That was made clear, wasn’t it? lol
If you say so. If you can’t understand why I, a fellow privacy advocate, would rather not download Google Play services, that’s fine. Different threat models and goals. That doesn’t mean this is the “best result”.
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Degoogling
You should really re-evaluate how you treat other people and how to contribute positively to discussion.
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They can just use Tesseract4Android libs, Tesseract OCR + OpenCV or even “borrow” code from FairScan. But no, Google. That’s what they call “privacy” and “EU based”.
But why I still suprised? They still didn’t
Also, why apps for Linux desktop like calendar and mail paid (I am paying customer btw, but on Pass + SL lifetime)?
Ok, I can understand that they developed Proton bridge that is meant for 3p mail clients, causes a little more server load… but why official desktop clients paid?
What the difference between mobile app and your desktop app? What the profit?
Soon VALVE will release Lepton (something like VINE but for android apps) and I will just run apps from Lepton
And Proton, maybe you could popularize Linux by making Mail and Calendar app for Linux free, but keeping paid for shitdows?
I think they won’t loose many income if they do so, but this will push people (even a little) to switch to Linux.
Google as fact is privacy issue. And we cannot check whether they have security issues - code closed.
Personally, I want something like Mythos to get public. Just for hackers to start attacking proprietary shit and forcing companies to change.
Do you understand what happening? You are giving camera permission to company that earn money by spying and surveillance. That’s not “on device” issue.
Because even if this exact operation is on device, you still cannot be sure that Google not using camera permission for other nefarious purposes, because you are giving permission not to one “on device” module, you are giving permission to Google play services at whole!
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Agreed! I used proton unlimited for two years, and due to their choices over that time period…I’m done.
proton has gotten very popular during that time (among the privacy minded), however they missed the boat, imo. It WAS a good/excellent option…they no longer are. At best, they’re meh for the “I don’t have much to hide” privacy minded.
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Starting to feel like I’m in the same boat.
Would be interested to hear what you are going to replace it with?
I can come up with a good options for replacements for everything but Proton Drive. It may be controversial, but I actually like it.
I don’t think I want to use Tresorit due to government ownership.
I like the idea of Peergos, but the lack of talk on here about anyone using it worries me if I’m going to be storing all my documents there long term. I would like to hear more opinions on its use.
I’m also not interested in Filen until it’s been audited.
I felt the same about peergos, it seems great but where is the enthusiastic group of users?
Have you considered mega.io?
Peergos is probably the best.
Exactly. I want to hear from those people.
Based in my next door neighbour NZ and owned by Hong Kong, I’m not sure I want that.
I need to have a play with the demo server again I think.
Are you an enthusiastic user?
I do not understand what you are asking. I also use Proton Drive, and it handles the keywords very well.
It was a slightly cryptic way of asking whether you are a peergos user