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FYI this is common if the report is referring to the Android app. Apps can scan the device for installed packages that have opted to be “visible”. This is part

FYI this is common if the report is referring to the Android app. Apps can scan the device for installed packages that have opted to be “visible”. This is particularly common for apps that attempt to prevent rooted users from using the app. I would not be surprised if the iOS platform has similar functionality. I’m not a fan of TikTok but this seems like it’s not a big deal.

api 4y ago
The fact that everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal.
- imnotreallynew 4y ago
  That’s not at all what my comment meant. It’s done for legitimate purposes, for example knowing which apps to launch for a given ‘Intent’ or checking for the existence of Google Chrome to attempt to launch a Chrome Custom Tab. It’s normal functionality for mobile apps. Now, if they are scanning visible installed packages and sending that data to their own servers for storage, that would be a story, but there’s no evidence that that is occurring. By the way, love your username.
  - hypertele-Xii 4y ago
    > for example knowing which apps to launch for a given ‘Intent’ Isn't the whole point of 'intents' exactly that apps don't need to know what other programs are installed, delegating the decision to the OS and user?
    - imnotreallynew 4y ago
      Those are called implicit Intents; they are common. Explicit Intents are also common and are used for a variety of purposes.
    - zinekeller 4y ago
      It should be, but apps can create custom Intents anyway (for example, com.facebook.(katana|orca) definitely has custom Intents). It's closer to scanning what fonts you have by webpages though: they can't enumerate what packages you really have but they have a huge lists of these custom Intents to scan.
stefan_ 4y ago
Ahh yes, the old "it's not tracking", it's "to prevent ad fraud". What harm are you trying to prevent from preventing "rooted users"? Do you think it was common for Windows applications to refuse to run on Administrator accounts?
- OJFord 4y ago
  I don't like it either, but fwiw: > What harm are you trying to prevent from preventing "rooted users"? Bypassing $streaming-app DRM/accessing its downloaded files for offline viewing (to copy elsewhere and keep forever) is a fair reason I think (better if it would just disable that feature of course). No idea why banking apps don't like it though. I assume they (or rather some manager, presumably not their Android devs) think 'rooted, uh-oh, hacker!' or something.
  - zaroth 4y ago
    It’s wild that content producers stoop to “the only way for me to protect my shitty content on your phone, is for you to no longer be in control of your own phone.” But it’s even more wild that the industry laps it up. Thank god the tech isn’t actually good enough to truly achieve the vision - a corporate wet dream and a consumer dystopian nightmare.
  - ShowalkKama 4y ago
    the funny part is that you can easily bypass them if you want to (again, you are hurting only legitimate users)
kmfrk 4y ago
Twitter's done similar stuff too: https://www.vox.com/2014/11/26/11633282/twitters-now-collecting-data-on-which-apps-you-download https://www.vox.com/2014/11/26/11633282/twitters-now-collect.... It's one of those things about privacy like Steve Jobs said: "Privacy is knowing what you sign up for". A lot of the time, the creepiness comes from poor communication. It's fair for people to assume something bad.
- saagarjha 4y ago
  This happened to be the catalyst for Apple locking down this functionality on iOS.
- ajsnigrutin 4y ago
  I don't think it's a communication issue, I think it's a phone/system permission issue. Somehow we made a change with our view at permissions to let or not-let apps access our files (storage permission), location and camera/microphone... but why the hell do we let them do all the other stuff (like this?). There should be a giant popup saying "TikTok wants to see the list of all the installed applications on your phone, do you want to allow that? yes once, not now, not ever" and it's done. Then have the developers deal with the "monetizers" if it's worth it for millions of people to see that popup and question why does a video app need such a permission.
chiefalchemist 4y ago
Not a big deal? Huh? My mum doesn't know what apps I have installed, why should TikTok?

api 4y ago

The fact that everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal.

imnotreallynew 4y ago
That’s not at all what my comment meant. It’s done for legitimate purposes, for example knowing which apps to launch for a given ‘Intent’ or checking for the existence of Google Chrome to attempt to launch a Chrome Custom Tab. It’s normal functionality for mobile apps. Now, if they are scanning visible installed packages and sending that data to their own servers for storage, that would be a story, but there’s no evidence that that is occurring. By the way, love your username.
- hypertele-Xii 4y ago
  > for example knowing which apps to launch for a given ‘Intent’ Isn't the whole point of 'intents' exactly that apps don't need to know what other programs are installed, delegating the decision to the OS and user?
  - imnotreallynew 4y ago
    Those are called implicit Intents; they are common. Explicit Intents are also common and are used for a variety of purposes.
  - zinekeller 4y ago
    It should be, but apps can create custom Intents anyway (for example, com.facebook.(katana|orca) definitely has custom Intents). It's closer to scanning what fonts you have by webpages though: they can't enumerate what packages you really have but they have a huge lists of these custom Intents to scan.

stefan_ 4y ago

Ahh yes, the old "it's not tracking", it's "to prevent ad fraud". What harm are you trying to prevent from preventing "rooted users"? Do you think it was common for Windows applications to refuse to run on Administrator accounts?

OJFord 4y ago
I don't like it either, but fwiw: > What harm are you trying to prevent from preventing "rooted users"? Bypassing $streaming-app DRM/accessing its downloaded files for offline viewing (to copy elsewhere and keep forever) is a fair reason I think (better if it would just disable that feature of course). No idea why banking apps don't like it though. I assume they (or rather some manager, presumably not their Android devs) think 'rooted, uh-oh, hacker!' or something.
- zaroth 4y ago
  It’s wild that content producers stoop to “the only way for me to protect my shitty content on your phone, is for you to no longer be in control of your own phone.” But it’s even more wild that the industry laps it up. Thank god the tech isn’t actually good enough to truly achieve the vision - a corporate wet dream and a consumer dystopian nightmare.
- ShowalkKama 4y ago
  the funny part is that you can easily bypass them if you want to (again, you are hurting only legitimate users)

kmfrk 4y ago

Twitter's done similar stuff too: https://www.vox.com/2014/11/26/11633282/twitters-now-collecting-data-on-which-apps-you-download https://www.vox.com/2014/11/26/11633282/twitters-now-collect.... It's one of those things about privacy like Steve Jobs said: "Privacy is knowing what you sign up for". A lot of the time, the creepiness comes from poor communication. It's fair for people to assume something bad.

saagarjha 4y ago
This happened to be the catalyst for Apple locking down this functionality on iOS.
ajsnigrutin 4y ago
I don't think it's a communication issue, I think it's a phone/system permission issue. Somehow we made a change with our view at permissions to let or not-let apps access our files (storage permission), location and camera/microphone... but why the hell do we let them do all the other stuff (like this?). There should be a giant popup saying "TikTok wants to see the list of all the installed applications on your phone, do you want to allow that? yes once, not now, not ever" and it's done. Then have the developers deal with the "monetizers" if it's worth it for millions of people to see that popup and question why does a video app need such a permission.

chiefalchemist 4y ago

Not a big deal? Huh? My mum doesn't know what apps I have installed, why should TikTok?