4 ms·

One of the things I appreciate about the iPhone is the fine grained settings for location tracking. I have had to turn off access to numerous apps and have limi

by mfer 7y ago

One of the things I appreciate about the iPhone is the fine grained settings for location tracking. I have had to turn off access to numerous apps and have limited other apps to only using my location when I use the app. To limit the tracking I had to personally do an audit. I noticed the location indicator was on most of the time and it annoyed me. I found too many apps using location tracking that just did not need it. Most people will not do this. We need better laws.

bilekas 7y ago
Its amazing when you hear people say they appreciate being able to stop individual tracking after its defaulted. Instead of expecting that nothing tracks you until you permit it. FWIW: This 'ability' is not specific for Iphone
- john_minsk 7y ago
  Then it works as expected. It doesn't track you before you approve it. Which 99% of us do when opening an app.
  - bilekas 7y ago
    No application should `require` location services to start/let you in. If you have `Facebook` app installed first time, upon opening the app, there should not be any requirement to access location data. Only at the point of posting with a 'Share Location' the app should request the Location tracking. And I don't see why it then needs to be permenantly permitted from then on. (Unless manually remove again) They are scummy tactics and I agree, people just click okay to remove the inconvenience, but the creators are creating problems in order to get those 'Allow access'. Its gross. Almost like selling a solution to a problem you created.
    - zo1 7y ago
      >"No application should `require` location services to start/let you in." Exactly this. Rejecting apps from getting into your store ecosystem that request permissions that they can't justify based on the purpose of the application should be one of the first and major things app-store curators do. Now to enforce this with browsers as well and include things such as "push notifications".
    - theferalrobot 7y ago
      For Facebook that may make sense but requiring the user to grant permission every time the permission is used would be vista era bad for some apps (maps, camera apps that geotags).
  - ajsnigrutin 7y ago
    Why would you approve location access to an app that doesn't require it? The only thing I miss is "ask me everytime" option on android (atleast until 9), where you want to post an instagram photo with geotag now, let them do a location lookup once, and after that disable the location access (so, a "give permission for one lookup", instead of going to settings, enabling location, posting, back to settings, disabling location access).
    - danso 7y ago
      Because location services can enhance apps, even ones that aren’t obviously location-related. For example, I love that iOS’s granular permissions allow me to approve location services “Just this once” for Camera.app, for the occasional photo when I do want it geotagged for later reference. Before, I would have to manually set it to “Allow when using”, which carried the huge risk of me forgetting to switch it off later.
- stiray 7y ago
  I agree and even further: you cant trust security features by the company you got phone from. It is conflict of interests. On android at least you can remove google completely and use 3rd part application firewall like netguard, that is open source. Or xprivacy lua to fake the data. Google "security" is a joke. Trusting privacy settings to the company that makea billions by destroying the privacy. Nope. It wont work.
  - ComodoHacker 7y ago
    At least with Google you can be sure your location data won't go to someone else. Unlike most app developers striving to monetize.
    - stiray 7y ago
      Are you? Are you able to tell for years ahead this wont happen? Insurance companies? Should I remind you about pre ww2 germany and their tagging of nationality (jew) in national archives? Sure in 1920 nobody cared about it, in 1942 it became something with mortal consequences. Maybe reminding about China social score? We are now in 1920 while I care what will happen in 1942. Historia magistra vitae. If google gets to the point of falling revenue (which will happen, sooner or later, continuous growth in finite system is impossible), stock holders will force the "sale", do you think they will sell their offices? Computers?
dylkil 7y ago
even when you toggle everything off on an iphone, it still checks your location https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/12/the-iphone-11-pros-location-data-puzzler/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/12/the-iphone-11-pros-locat...
A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago
I had our annual chat with a friend ( long story, it is just hard for us to find time we can both be in the same place ). She works in a hospital and said the same thing about medical bills. One person can't keep track of all this. I had the same point about privacy. We do need something better. The current version does not work for me.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- jc01480 7y ago
  The concept of freedom is so interesting. In the US, it is an inherent right. Many things are protected as inalienable rights from government intrusion. But a darker picture emerges when freedom is weaponized by private people (e.g. corporations). Your freedom actually starts turning into a capitalist feeding frenzy. Take it one step further and it is a nightmare (stalkers). Freedom is a careful balance of the two. This trade off is a strange yet inevitable world Americans live in.
  - JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
    You're only valuable to these companies if they can put an ad in front of you. If you quit Facebook and use uBlock, it's costing these companies money to keep track of your interests for ads if they can't serve you any.
mhb 7y ago
Apple could also help by making the global Location Services toggle more readily available (icon available in Control Center?) instead of multiple clicks deep and a confirmation.
- throwaway55554 7y ago
  Yes, it should be in the control center, for sure.
JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
With Location Services disabled, FB can use secondary data, like Bluetooth information and IP address to reasonably approximate location. It doesn't change the situation much.

by mfer 7y ago

bilekas 7y ago

Its amazing when you hear people say they appreciate being able to stop individual tracking after its defaulted. Instead of expecting that nothing tracks you until you permit it. FWIW: This 'ability' is not specific for Iphone

john_minsk 7y ago
Then it works as expected. It doesn't track you before you approve it. Which 99% of us do when opening an app.
- bilekas 7y ago
  No application should `require` location services to start/let you in. If you have `Facebook` app installed first time, upon opening the app, there should not be any requirement to access location data. Only at the point of posting with a 'Share Location' the app should request the Location tracking. And I don't see why it then needs to be permenantly permitted from then on. (Unless manually remove again) They are scummy tactics and I agree, people just click okay to remove the inconvenience, but the creators are creating problems in order to get those 'Allow access'. Its gross. Almost like selling a solution to a problem you created.
  - zo1 7y ago
    >"No application should `require` location services to start/let you in." Exactly this. Rejecting apps from getting into your store ecosystem that request permissions that they can't justify based on the purpose of the application should be one of the first and major things app-store curators do. Now to enforce this with browsers as well and include things such as "push notifications".
  - theferalrobot 7y ago
    For Facebook that may make sense but requiring the user to grant permission every time the permission is used would be vista era bad for some apps (maps, camera apps that geotags).
- ajsnigrutin 7y ago
  Why would you approve location access to an app that doesn't require it? The only thing I miss is "ask me everytime" option on android (atleast until 9), where you want to post an instagram photo with geotag now, let them do a location lookup once, and after that disable the location access (so, a "give permission for one lookup", instead of going to settings, enabling location, posting, back to settings, disabling location access).
  - danso 7y ago
    Because location services can enhance apps, even ones that aren’t obviously location-related. For example, I love that iOS’s granular permissions allow me to approve location services “Just this once” for Camera.app, for the occasional photo when I do want it geotagged for later reference. Before, I would have to manually set it to “Allow when using”, which carried the huge risk of me forgetting to switch it off later.
stiray 7y ago
I agree and even further: you cant trust security features by the company you got phone from. It is conflict of interests. On android at least you can remove google completely and use 3rd part application firewall like netguard, that is open source. Or xprivacy lua to fake the data. Google "security" is a joke. Trusting privacy settings to the company that makea billions by destroying the privacy. Nope. It wont work.
- ComodoHacker 7y ago
  At least with Google you can be sure your location data won't go to someone else. Unlike most app developers striving to monetize.
  - stiray 7y ago
    Are you? Are you able to tell for years ahead this wont happen? Insurance companies? Should I remind you about pre ww2 germany and their tagging of nationality (jew) in national archives? Sure in 1920 nobody cared about it, in 1942 it became something with mortal consequences. Maybe reminding about China social score? We are now in 1920 while I care what will happen in 1942. Historia magistra vitae. If google gets to the point of falling revenue (which will happen, sooner or later, continuous growth in finite system is impossible), stock holders will force the "sale", do you think they will sell their offices? Computers?

dylkil 7y ago

even when you toggle everything off on an iphone, it still checks your location https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/12/the-iphone-11-pros-location-data-puzzler/ https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/12/the-iphone-11-pros-locat...

A4ET8a8uTh0 7y ago

I had our annual chat with a friend ( long story, it is just hard for us to find time we can both be in the same place ). She works in a hospital and said the same thing about medical bills. One person can't keep track of all this. I had the same point about privacy. We do need something better. The current version does not work for me.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
jc01480 7y ago
The concept of freedom is so interesting. In the US, it is an inherent right. Many things are protected as inalienable rights from government intrusion. But a darker picture emerges when freedom is weaponized by private people (e.g. corporations). Your freedom actually starts turning into a capitalist feeding frenzy. Take it one step further and it is a nightmare (stalkers). Freedom is a careful balance of the two. This trade off is a strange yet inevitable world Americans live in.
- JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
  You're only valuable to these companies if they can put an ad in front of you. If you quit Facebook and use uBlock, it's costing these companies money to keep track of your interests for ads if they can't serve you any.

mhb 7y ago

Apple could also help by making the global Location Services toggle more readily available (icon available in Control Center?) instead of multiple clicks deep and a confirmation.

throwaway55554 7y ago
Yes, it should be in the control center, for sure.

JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago

With Location Services disabled, FB can use secondary data, like Bluetooth information and IP address to reasonably approximate location. It doesn't change the situation much.