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Someone more informed might know this better than me: are all mobile apps constantly collecting as much data on you as they can and reselling it? I had this rea

by Yhippa 4y ago

Someone more informed might know this better than me: are all mobile apps constantly collecting as much data on you as they can and reselling it? I had this realization sometime during COVID (I know, I'm late to the party). I assume any free (as in beer) app is doing this and possibly even paid apps.

lisper 4y ago
Yes. Of course. Did you really think people develop these apps as philanthropic endeavors?
- aftbit 4y ago
  <s>Right, just like the Linux kernel and OpenSSL.</s> Just because something is free doesn't _automatically_ mean you are the product. That said, I agree in this case - lots of free scammy apps are free because they make more money that way than selling the app.
  - minsc_and_boo 4y ago
    Sure, but these free mobile apps typically are not open sourced projects. Even so, a not-insignificant number of OS software is also a business strategy to buy B2B consulting services.
  - lisper 4y ago
    Linux and OpenSSL are not driven by philanthropy either. They are driven by technical passion. Weather apps not so much.
  - sh4rks 4y ago
    You're confusing free with free
Terry_Roll 4y ago
Not all mobile apps, but your mobile phone is your own personal surveillance device. So when mobiles first came out they didnt have any background noise cancelling algo's so if someone's phone "accidentally" called the last person whilst it was in their pocket, you could listen into everything they were discussing and identify the other people they were talking to. The Edward Snowden leaks, showed the phone's can be remotely activated if switched off, a bit like the Intel Management Engine is for PC's, so to defeat that you need a phone you can take the battery out of. If you want to analyse it in greater detail, do a replay attack on the transmission from your phone, like you can with wifi and then pick apart the data that is being transmitted. You might have to write your own software and get a suitable SDR dongle to listen in to a smart phone, but its doable. About a decade ago, you could get apps for android which allowed your phone to override the cell traffic management, in other words you could make you phone use a particular cell mast when there was a choice, as this can also be used for triangulation purposes, it offered a level of privacy by ignoring the other masts so triangulation couldnt take place. The smart thing to do is roll your own OS for your devices, you can even use wifi to identify whether someone is carrying a gun or knife on their person because different alloys react differently to RF signals like wifi, so you could have one of the new Garmin Fenix 7 Super Sapphire's with your own OS working with a smart phone on you that is also running your own OS scanning for metals. Anybody doing a concealed carry near you gets found out. Hacking firmware like the OnePlus 8 Camera which see's through plastic also removes privacy for people, because nylon is plastic and plastics are being used more and more in clothes, like winter Fleece jackets. https://twitter.com/MaxWinebach/status/1260564386546094081 https://twitter.com/MaxWinebach/status/1260564386546094081 https://twitter.com/BenGeskin/status/1260607594395250690 https://twitter.com/BenGeskin/status/1260607594395250690 Science is stealing everyone's privacy and I stopped carrying a mobile years ago!
heleninboodler 4y ago
An alarming number of them are. And consider that in many, many cases, the apps don't even know they're doing it, because the developer is including some SDK that helps them (e.g. SDKs that help them monetize by handling ad placement). The SDKs can do whatever the app can do, so they're quietly siphoning all kinds of data off and sending it back to the publisher of the SDK.

by Yhippa 4y ago

lisper 4y ago

Yes. Of course. Did you really think people develop these apps as philanthropic endeavors?

aftbit 4y ago
<s>Right, just like the Linux kernel and OpenSSL.</s> Just because something is free doesn't _automatically_ mean you are the product. That said, I agree in this case - lots of free scammy apps are free because they make more money that way than selling the app.
- minsc_and_boo 4y ago
  Sure, but these free mobile apps typically are not open sourced projects. Even so, a not-insignificant number of OS software is also a business strategy to buy B2B consulting services.
- lisper 4y ago
  Linux and OpenSSL are not driven by philanthropy either. They are driven by technical passion. Weather apps not so much.
- sh4rks 4y ago
  You're confusing free with free

Terry_Roll 4y ago

Not all mobile apps, but your mobile phone is your own personal surveillance device. So when mobiles first came out they didnt have any background noise cancelling algo's so if someone's phone "accidentally" called the last person whilst it was in their pocket, you could listen into everything they were discussing and identify the other people they were talking to. The Edward Snowden leaks, showed the phone's can be remotely activated if switched off, a bit like the Intel Management Engine is for PC's, so to defeat that you need a phone you can take the battery out of. If you want to analyse it in greater detail, do a replay attack on the transmission from your phone, like you can with wifi and then pick apart the data that is being transmitted. You might have to write your own software and get a suitable SDR dongle to listen in to a smart phone, but its doable. About a decade ago, you could get apps for android which allowed your phone to override the cell traffic management, in other words you could make you phone use a particular cell mast when there was a choice, as this can also be used for triangulation purposes, it offered a level of privacy by ignoring the other masts so triangulation couldnt take place. The smart thing to do is roll your own OS for your devices, you can even use wifi to identify whether someone is carrying a gun or knife on their person because different alloys react differently to RF signals like wifi, so you could have one of the new Garmin Fenix 7 Super Sapphire's with your own OS working with a smart phone on you that is also running your own OS scanning for metals. Anybody doing a concealed carry near you gets found out. Hacking firmware like the OnePlus 8 Camera which see's through plastic also removes privacy for people, because nylon is plastic and plastics are being used more and more in clothes, like winter Fleece jackets. https://twitter.com/MaxWinebach/status/1260564386546094081 https://twitter.com/MaxWinebach/status/1260564386546094081 https://twitter.com/BenGeskin/status/1260607594395250690 https://twitter.com/BenGeskin/status/1260607594395250690 Science is stealing everyone's privacy and I stopped carrying a mobile years ago!

heleninboodler 4y ago

An alarming number of them are. And consider that in many, many cases, the apps don't even know they're doing it, because the developer is including some SDK that helps them (e.g. SDKs that help them monetize by handling ad placement). The SDKs can do whatever the app can do, so they're quietly siphoning all kinds of data off and sending it back to the publisher of the SDK.