I ask because I care. I care because I have become convinced that most people do not know the dangers that exist on a device platform riddled with toxic malware which can feast upon users.
Yet, I understand enough about humanity to understand why Apple does not own 100-percent of the smartphone market. Choice. Price. Malware comes in many forms– from legitimate to illegitimate.
Legitimate?
Yes. Allow me to explain.
From the perspective of an Apple customer– iPhone, iPad, Mac, et al– malware comes in two forms. Legitimate and illegitimate. Malware that attacks your device, takes private information away, perhaps even stealing banking or credit card information, or relieving your device of enough information to steal an identity, is toxic malware.
What of legitimate malware?
Well, here I’m talking about Google itself, but the search engine giant and advertising behemoth is representative of a more insidious malware which functions as if legitimate because Google apps are invited onto smartphones, PCs, tablets, and, to a degree, even to iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Google’s colorful and playful logo masks what Google really is– a high society thief of sorts; a company which dishes out free applications– and Android OS itself– simply to make an exchange. Exchange? Yes. Use Google apps for free. Google takes information from you for free. It’s a free exchange.
But it isn’t really free for users.
Obviously, Android is the most visible malware platform, but let’s say you disdain Google’s tactics and refuse to use their free applications. No matter. Google tracks you online anyway. Nearly every website you visit uses Google Analytics which tracks your online habits and whereabouts site by site. Google knows where you are by your IP address and you need a VPN (virtual private network) to obscure that identifier. Google also has a prolific cross-platform cookie system to track users.
See how that works?
Such tracking is prolific and nearly unchecked on Android, stymied and stifled somewhat on iOS and macOS, but has proliferated and infested the entire online experience for everyone. Most online device users just do not know about, or do not fully understand, just how pervasive trackers from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other nefarious entities have become or appreciate the dangers they represent.
Personal privacy is an issue for the masses. Personal security is an issue for everyone. We see progressive governments taking a stand against such online harvesting (GDPR, I’m looking at you) but citizens will not demand better treatment until they know the dangers and their options.
Apple’s walled garden ecosystem is an option, yes, but to the great unwashed masses of Android and PC users, price is an object, a barrier of sorts, and the depths and dangers represented by Google, Facebook, et al, are not yet sufficiently public for the villagers to riot.
Now, with that said, why would anybody buy an Android smartphone?