8 ms·

As a developer I don’t want people sending my app spoofed data.

abraae 6y ago
As a user I want a way to bypass your overly intrusive data collection on me.
hulahoof 6y ago
Agreed, but as a user I do want this option and so the parent post point stands - the device should be on the owners side, not the app developers.
belval 6y ago
I am the one paying for the phone so I should get to pick what information it will tell you.
rnotaro 6y ago
As a user you're not entitled to the GPS Data of my phone and i'm allowed to send any data that I want to.
polishdude20 6y ago
It's not your app anymore. The user has bought it remember?
andolanra 6y ago
Well then, you should make sure that you're providing a useful service with that data, or allow data collection to be turned off. Think of it like this: if I'm actively using an app that's giving me turn-by-turn directions, then of course I'm not going to want to spoof GPS, since it would make the app useless to me. But if your app demands GPS data just for ad analytics, then yes, I would absolutely and without any remorse spoof GPS data for that app. In that latter case, I don't care that a developer might be unhappy with it, because as a user I'm unhappy that the developer is slurping up data they don't need!
- duxup 6y ago
  What about games like say Pokemon Go where accurate location data is part of the game and spoofing is a problem that can impact other user's?
  - vincnetas 6y ago
    Good question. I still think that its up to user to decide what data he shares with app. If its crucial for app to know that gps position is not faked, app could do some heuristic. Check if user is not moving faster than some limit, does not stop moving for extended periods of time etc. Basically anticheat engine. Only area where this whould be relevant i think is online multiplayer games. Otherwise, if user is faking gps he is messing up his own experience.
    - duxup 6y ago
      >Only area where this whould be relevant i think is online multiplayer games. That's the issue with augmented reality games like Pokemon Go.
      - chii 6y ago
        i argue it's not an issue. If the user decides to spoof to cheat in the game, there are other ways to detect it (such as speed limiting - which, as i understand, pokemon go already does). If the app wants to force a user to not modify their phone just so they have a secure enclave for which they can implement DRM, then i can't agree to it. This includes things like spoofing, but also things like memory edits or hacking save files, or anything else client side. If the app needs secure storage that's unchangeable, they can save it on their servers.
        duxup 6y ago
        Spoofing is an issue even if you limit yourself to a reasonable speed. You don't have to spoof yourself everywhere all at once.
    - 6y ago
matheusmoreira 6y ago
As a user I don't really care about what you want or need. You're not supposed to get any data at all unless it's strictly necessary. You're also supposed to delete any data that you do get after you're done using it in a way that benefits me and me alone.
whateveracct 6y ago
too bad!
stirfish 6y ago
Why not? As a developer, I can't think of any downsides.
theodric 6y ago
As a user I say "too bad, I paid for the app, I do what I want with it"
jjav 6y ago
I'm a developer too, but no, sorry, the user comes first. They're paying the bills and your salary. If your app needs to get info that benefits the user (as the mapping app GPS example), nobody will deny it because it makes sense. If your app wants to get info that benefits you but not the user, it only makes sense for that data to be denied (preferably) or faked (as a backup plan). You have no right to it.
- jcelerier 6y ago
  > They're paying the bills and your salary That's the whole issue - it's not the case anymorez now it's the ads that pay

As a user I want a way to bypass your overly intrusive data collection on me.

Agreed, but as a user I do want this option and so the parent post point stands - the device should be on the owners side, not the app developers.

belval 6y ago

I am the one paying for the phone so I should get to pick what information it will tell you.

rnotaro 6y ago

As a user you're not entitled to the GPS Data of my phone and i'm allowed to send any data that I want to.

polishdude20 6y ago

It's not your app anymore. The user has bought it remember?

andolanra 6y ago

Well then, you should make sure that you're providing a useful service with that data, or allow data collection to be turned off. Think of it like this: if I'm actively using an app that's giving me turn-by-turn directions, then of course I'm not going to want to spoof GPS, since it would make the app useless to me. But if your app demands GPS data just for ad analytics, then yes, I would absolutely and without any remorse spoof GPS data for that app. In that latter case, I don't care that a developer might be unhappy with it, because as a user I'm unhappy that the developer is slurping up data they don't need!

duxup 6y ago
What about games like say Pokemon Go where accurate location data is part of the game and spoofing is a problem that can impact other user's?
- vincnetas 6y ago
  Good question. I still think that its up to user to decide what data he shares with app. If its crucial for app to know that gps position is not faked, app could do some heuristic. Check if user is not moving faster than some limit, does not stop moving for extended periods of time etc. Basically anticheat engine. Only area where this whould be relevant i think is online multiplayer games. Otherwise, if user is faking gps he is messing up his own experience.
  - duxup 6y ago
    >Only area where this whould be relevant i think is online multiplayer games. That's the issue with augmented reality games like Pokemon Go.
    - chii 6y ago
      i argue it's not an issue. If the user decides to spoof to cheat in the game, there are other ways to detect it (such as speed limiting - which, as i understand, pokemon go already does). If the app wants to force a user to not modify their phone just so they have a secure enclave for which they can implement DRM, then i can't agree to it. This includes things like spoofing, but also things like memory edits or hacking save files, or anything else client side. If the app needs secure storage that's unchangeable, they can save it on their servers.
      - duxup 6y ago
        Spoofing is an issue even if you limit yourself to a reasonable speed. You don't have to spoof yourself everywhere all at once.
  - 6y ago

matheusmoreira 6y ago

As a user I don't really care about what you want or need. You're not supposed to get any data at all unless it's strictly necessary. You're also supposed to delete any data that you do get after you're done using it in a way that benefits me and me alone.

whateveracct 6y ago

too bad!

stirfish 6y ago

Why not? As a developer, I can't think of any downsides.

theodric 6y ago

As a user I say "too bad, I paid for the app, I do what I want with it"

jjav 6y ago

I'm a developer too, but no, sorry, the user comes first. They're paying the bills and your salary. If your app needs to get info that benefits the user (as the mapping app GPS example), nobody will deny it because it makes sense. If your app wants to get info that benefits you but not the user, it only makes sense for that data to be denied (preferably) or faked (as a backup plan). You have no right to it.

jcelerier 6y ago
> They're paying the bills and your salary That's the whole issue - it's not the case anymorez now it's the ads that pay