4 ms·

With the exception of Signal, I never give apps access to my contacts. If you think that's paranoid, remember how apps like LinkedIn used this kind of informati

With the exception of Signal, I never give apps access to my contacts. If you think that's paranoid, remember how apps like LinkedIn used this kind of information in the past[1]. Thankfully on iOS apps almost always work without contact access (is this mandated by App Store rules?). It's not clear from the article if the app just asks for access to contacts or requires it, but if you can't make your Voip app work without accessing my contact list, I don't want to use it. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/21/4756212/linkedin-accused-of-hacking-user-email-lawsuit https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/21/4756212/linkedin-accused-...

thebeardisred 4y ago
While I don't doubt that you never give apps access to your contacts, how many apps do you use as _dialers_?
- londons_explore 4y ago
  iOS doesn't even let you change the dialer.
  - avisser 4y ago
    I have Google voice on my iPhone. Google voice calls show up in my "Recents" in the Phone app. When I click them, the call is started in Google Voice. That feels like changing the dialer, even if it's technically not.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    Third party dialing apps integrate with contacts, the dialer, your call history etc.
cmsj 4y ago
Absolutely the same here. WhatsApp is a nightmare to use without contacts, but I don't care, they are not having my contacts.
- Nextgrid 4y ago
  Facebook wouldn't have paid billions for just a messaging app. What they really paid for is people's social graphs.
  - resoluteteeth 4y ago
    I'm sure they are making money off of any data they can, but their actual strategy was pretty clearly buying potential competitors to ensure the company continued to dominate the market even if the facebook site began to lose users: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/08/ftc-alleges-facebook-resorted-illegal-buy-or-bury-scheme-crush-competition-after-string-failed https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/08/...
- perryizgr8 4y ago
  To be fair, whatsapp is a messaging app. Almost everybody who uses it, gives it contacts access, because it is absolutely required for that core functionality. It would be horrible to use if I couldn't search my contacts within the app. Or of incoming messages didn't get tagged based on my contacts.
thatguy0900 4y ago
Seems like a lost fight to me, if a few friends have these apps your social web is already known to a great extent anyway
- 0xCMP 4y ago
  It is, but it's worth being a pain in this respect because it makes it obvious we need a way to limit which contacts an app can see similar to how you can limit photos for an app.
- donmcronald 4y ago
  Yep. I was just looking at a voicemail / spam blocking one last night and their privacy policy said they use / share and contacts you upload (aka that they upload). The average person has no idea that’s happening.
bryceacc 4y ago
there are multiple apps i have encountered that would not let you type in a phone number to start a chat. you HAVE to give contact access and have whatever number you wanted to chat with saved as a contact
- binkHN 4y ago
  > you HAVE to give contact access... Some apps require this, but the Android API allows apps to access very specific Contact information without having full access to all Contact data.

thebeardisred 4y ago

While I don't doubt that you never give apps access to your contacts, how many apps do you use as _dialers_?

londons_explore 4y ago
iOS doesn't even let you change the dialer.
- avisser 4y ago
  I have Google voice on my iPhone. Google voice calls show up in my "Recents" in the Phone app. When I click them, the call is started in Google Voice. That feels like changing the dialer, even if it's technically not.
- scarface74 4y ago
  Third party dialing apps integrate with contacts, the dialer, your call history etc.

cmsj 4y ago

Absolutely the same here. WhatsApp is a nightmare to use without contacts, but I don't care, they are not having my contacts.

Nextgrid 4y ago
Facebook wouldn't have paid billions for just a messaging app. What they really paid for is people's social graphs.
- resoluteteeth 4y ago
  I'm sure they are making money off of any data they can, but their actual strategy was pretty clearly buying potential competitors to ensure the company continued to dominate the market even if the facebook site began to lose users: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/08/ftc-alleges-facebook-resorted-illegal-buy-or-bury-scheme-crush-competition-after-string-failed https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/08/...
perryizgr8 4y ago
To be fair, whatsapp is a messaging app. Almost everybody who uses it, gives it contacts access, because it is absolutely required for that core functionality. It would be horrible to use if I couldn't search my contacts within the app. Or of incoming messages didn't get tagged based on my contacts.

thatguy0900 4y ago

Seems like a lost fight to me, if a few friends have these apps your social web is already known to a great extent anyway

0xCMP 4y ago
It is, but it's worth being a pain in this respect because it makes it obvious we need a way to limit which contacts an app can see similar to how you can limit photos for an app.
donmcronald 4y ago
Yep. I was just looking at a voicemail / spam blocking one last night and their privacy policy said they use / share and contacts you upload (aka that they upload). The average person has no idea that’s happening.

bryceacc 4y ago

there are multiple apps i have encountered that would not let you type in a phone number to start a chat. you HAVE to give contact access and have whatever number you wanted to chat with saved as a contact

binkHN 4y ago
> you HAVE to give contact access... Some apps require this, but the Android API allows apps to access very specific Contact information without having full access to all Contact data.