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Android having the most granular permission system ever seen on any operating system is already the most secure operating system. The biggest security hole nex

by apunic 13y ago

Android having the most granular permission system ever seen on any operating system is already the most secure operating system. The biggest security hole next to the baseband processor and the SIM is the user who installs every app in seconds without checking permissions.

drdaeman 13y ago
Not even remotely granular. Install XPrivacy[1] (which is still not granular enough for me, as it lacks filtering over function arguments) and see that categories are very broad. [1]: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy
- magic_haze 13y ago
  Argument-level filtering would be awesome, but I don't know, the existing app+function level filtering seems to be working fine for me so far. The only real complaint I have with xprivacy now is the atrocious UI, and I'd really like some way for it to automatically fetch filters from somewhere so I don't have to bother with the permissions every time an app updates.
tomp 13y ago
Not really, iOS permissions are more granular sometimes - iOS will ask you before an app accesses your phonebook, and you can deny the access. You can't do that with Android.
- apunic 13y ago
  > iOS permissions are more granular sometimes Not true, http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.perm...
  - eddieroger 13y ago
    Android permissions are all or none at install time. iOS allows permissions to be individually toggled at any time. Some people define flexibility differently.
    - jdiez17 13y ago
      I can revoke permissions on any Android app with App Settings[1]. [1] https://mediacru.sh/DRUrAHvxdlfS https://mediacru.sh/DRUrAHvxdlfS
      - rst 13y ago
        In which Android versions? Cyanogenmod supports this functionality, but most stock builds don't, up through the most recent Kitkat releases. (The first shipped Kitkat builds supported a form of this, but it was quickly removed, amidst complaints from privacy advocates: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-privacy-features-android-shortly-after-adding-them https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-p... So, there are a few shipped phones which can have this functionality made accessible via third party app --- but update your phone and they cease to work.)
        eddieroger 13y ago
        For what it's worth, if I can't do it on a phone that I walked out of Verizon with and didn't touch again, then I consider it can't-do. Custom ROMs aren't mainstream enough yet to count (despite how awesome Cyanogenmod is), and as you correctly pointed out, Android removed it from KitKat. So, until Android natively supports it in a release, it doesn't exist.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]

by apunic 13y ago

drdaeman 13y ago

Not even remotely granular. Install XPrivacy[1] (which is still not granular enough for me, as it lacks filtering over function arguments) and see that categories are very broad. [1]: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy#xprivacy

magic_haze 13y ago
Argument-level filtering would be awesome, but I don't know, the existing app+function level filtering seems to be working fine for me so far. The only real complaint I have with xprivacy now is the atrocious UI, and I'd really like some way for it to automatically fetch filters from somewhere so I don't have to bother with the permissions every time an app updates.

tomp 13y ago

Not really, iOS permissions are more granular sometimes - iOS will ask you before an app accesses your phonebook, and you can deny the access. You can't do that with Android.

apunic 13y ago
> iOS permissions are more granular sometimes Not true, http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.perm...
- eddieroger 13y ago
  Android permissions are all or none at install time. iOS allows permissions to be individually toggled at any time. Some people define flexibility differently.
  - jdiez17 13y ago
    I can revoke permissions on any Android app with App Settings[1]. [1] https://mediacru.sh/DRUrAHvxdlfS https://mediacru.sh/DRUrAHvxdlfS
    - rst 13y ago
      In which Android versions? Cyanogenmod supports this functionality, but most stock builds don't, up through the most recent Kitkat releases. (The first shipped Kitkat builds supported a form of this, but it was quickly removed, amidst complaints from privacy advocates: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-privacy-features-android-shortly-after-adding-them https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-p... So, there are a few shipped phones which can have this functionality made accessible via third party app --- but update your phone and they cease to work.)
      - eddieroger 13y ago
        For what it's worth, if I can't do it on a phone that I walked out of Verizon with and didn't touch again, then I consider it can't-do. Custom ROMs aren't mainstream enough yet to count (despite how awesome Cyanogenmod is), and as you correctly pointed out, Android removed it from KitKat. So, until Android natively supports it in a release, it doesn't exist.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]