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Because if you consider TikTok to be spyware then you would need to also block Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. Instead Apple had implemented the mos

Because if you consider TikTok to be spyware then you would need to also block Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. Instead Apple had implemented the most stringent, pro-privacy features and polices on any platform bar none.

inopinatus 6y ago
I actually do avoid installing all of those, and it is due to profound mistrust, so there's no reductio ad absurdum on that basis.
- threeseed 6y ago
  Those were high-profile examples. But most apps implement some sort of telemetry even just basic product analytics e.g. MixPanel or Google Analytics. Both of which collect a wealth of user data. So if I were you I would not use any app or search engine. Just to be on the safe side.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - inopinatus 6y ago
    If you were me, you might've deleted that remark in shame after realising it is maximising snark at the expense of worthwhile advice. What I actually do is: minimise the number of apps installed, run a pihole to misroute unwanted traffic, run a VPN tunnel between home and a VPS that I manage myself for location masking and additional egress filtering, install a nonmonetized content blocker for which the source code is available (and run in advanced mode, with assets manually unblocked only by need), and use DuckDuckGo as my search engine. Neither MixPanel nor GA are in my good books, and if a website requires such spyware to load before it functions, I abandon it. What's more, I don't allow anything of the sort to be installed on my own services. The only third-party assets permitted are the card-capture fields from our payment gateway.
osrec 6y ago
Sorry, what?! Tiktok grabs your IMEI number, amongst numerous other things and sends them back to the mother ship. Not saying that other platforms don't collect data, but Tiktok is known for being a whole other level spyware. If Apple was truly trying to protect consumers, there's no way it would allow it.
- pjc50 6y ago
  Lots of apps do that. Which permission set does getting the IMEI require on iOS?
  - judge2020 6y ago
    The only legitimate way is via private entitlements, which require you be either Apple or perhaps a carrier that works with Apple to be on the iPhone https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24014412 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24014412
- jasode 6y ago
  >Tiktok grabs your IMEI number, amongst numerous other things and sends them back to the mother ship. Maybe I misunderstand you but the quick search[0] I did on Google says Apple iOS API doesn't allow programmer to fetch IMEI number. Did TikTok find a way to circumvent this and get the IMEI? [0] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41278494/how-to-get-imei-number-of-iphone-programmatically/41278624 https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41278494/how-to-get-imei... [1] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19927160/finding-imei-number-using-objective-c https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19927160/finding-imei-nu... [2] https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/31122 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/31122
- threeseed 6y ago
  Provide evidence. There is no ability to get the IMEI on iOS.
- nemothekid 6y ago
  >but Tiktok is known for being a whole other level spyware. Somehow grabbing your IMEI is "whole other level of spyware" than Facebook, who had an app that was analyzing all the traffic sent through your phone.

inopinatus 6y ago

I actually do avoid installing all of those, and it is due to profound mistrust, so there's no reductio ad absurdum on that basis.

threeseed 6y ago
Those were high-profile examples. But most apps implement some sort of telemetry even just basic product analytics e.g. MixPanel or Google Analytics. Both of which collect a wealth of user data. So if I were you I would not use any app or search engine. Just to be on the safe side.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- inopinatus 6y ago
  If you were me, you might've deleted that remark in shame after realising it is maximising snark at the expense of worthwhile advice. What I actually do is: minimise the number of apps installed, run a pihole to misroute unwanted traffic, run a VPN tunnel between home and a VPS that I manage myself for location masking and additional egress filtering, install a nonmonetized content blocker for which the source code is available (and run in advanced mode, with assets manually unblocked only by need), and use DuckDuckGo as my search engine. Neither MixPanel nor GA are in my good books, and if a website requires such spyware to load before it functions, I abandon it. What's more, I don't allow anything of the sort to be installed on my own services. The only third-party assets permitted are the card-capture fields from our payment gateway.

osrec 6y ago

Sorry, what?! Tiktok grabs your IMEI number, amongst numerous other things and sends them back to the mother ship. Not saying that other platforms don't collect data, but Tiktok is known for being a whole other level spyware. If Apple was truly trying to protect consumers, there's no way it would allow it.

pjc50 6y ago
Lots of apps do that. Which permission set does getting the IMEI require on iOS?
- judge2020 6y ago
  The only legitimate way is via private entitlements, which require you be either Apple or perhaps a carrier that works with Apple to be on the iPhone https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24014412 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24014412
jasode 6y ago
>Tiktok grabs your IMEI number, amongst numerous other things and sends them back to the mother ship. Maybe I misunderstand you but the quick search[0] I did on Google says Apple iOS API doesn't allow programmer to fetch IMEI number. Did TikTok find a way to circumvent this and get the IMEI? [0] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41278494/how-to-get-imei-number-of-iphone-programmatically/41278624 https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41278494/how-to-get-imei... [1] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19927160/finding-imei-number-using-objective-c https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19927160/finding-imei-nu... [2] https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/31122 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/31122
threeseed 6y ago
Provide evidence. There is no ability to get the IMEI on iOS.
nemothekid 6y ago
>but Tiktok is known for being a whole other level spyware. Somehow grabbing your IMEI is "whole other level of spyware" than Facebook, who had an app that was analyzing all the traffic sent through your phone.