Is it "Safe" to use OEM Pixel Camera App?

CharlieMander

I want to use OEM Google Pixel Camera App. Ive been testing all the alternatives and they are just not as good IMO.
I have the App on My Secondary Profile with -
lukaspieper / Gcam-Services-Provider
So does not try to make me use Google Photos.
Im letting it have the permissions - Camera, Microphone, Photo and Video, Sensors.... "While app is in Use"
That seems like alot.
Is there a better way to set up permissions?

Im Stupid/Ignorant, is this app "Safe" to use on my main profile? I dont want Google getting anything from main profile. Or any spyware apps on my main profile.

Does it save my photos with EXIF Data/Meta Data?
I want the Pictures/Videos it saves with no extra data.
If I use this app do I need to use another app that "scrubs" the extra data?

Sorry I see other post about this/similar already.
Hopeing someone can give me easier to understand answer.

Thank You

Linux

CharlieMander Im Stupid/Ignorant, is this app "Safe" to use on my main profile? I dont want Google getting anything from main profile. Or any spyware apps on my main profile.

It would be safe if you only give network permission to open source apps.
If there is only one proprietary application with network permission, it could be used to extract data from all proprietary apps via IPC

vividsquirrel

My advice (for people without Google Play Services or other closed source apps with internet access installed on the main profile) is to just use the Google Camera app. I think I downloaded it through Aurora Store. It has the standard permissions for camera and microphone, but not location because I have no reason to location tag my photos. The main super important thing is that I have also denied the network permission. As a result, even if the app is attempting to do shady things, it has no way of communicating outside of the app. It cannot access the internet directly, nor through Play Services since it's not installed.

The main disadvantage as you mentioned is the fact that the Google Camera app is always going to add EXIF metadata to the image containing time of day as well as various camera information. It will not contain location metadata if you make sure not to give the app location access. There are many apps such as Fossify Camera or Image Toolbox that have a metadata removal feature that you can use after the photos are taken to clean them of unwanted EXIF data.

Hope this helps!

CharlieMander

vividsquirrel It does. Thank you

de0u

Linux It would be safe if you only give network permission to open source apps.

That is not a rule. Open-source apps have been compromised, and sometimes sold to people who have added tracking.

Linux If there is only one proprietary application with network permission, it could be used to extract data from all proprietary apps via IPC

That is not how IPC works. An app can't extract information from another app via IPC. What is transferred is what one app chooses to send to another.