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There's a general trend of mobile apps that ask for everything: camera, microphone, sensors, access to local files, WiFi, etc. These are apps (like Uber) with n
by api 12y ago
There's a general trend of mobile apps that ask for everything: camera, microphone, sensors, access to local files, WiFi, etc. These are apps (like Uber) with no good reason to need access to such things.
In most cases I can think of no good reason for this except either a desire to surveil customers for indirect monetization, or participation in government or private surveillance grid efforts.
I've got Lyft on my Android phone, but not Uber. I look at its permissions and the only dubious looking one is "access to take photos / videos." Is this perhaps for signing up as a driver and photographing yourself and your car? I don't see anything else that doesn't make sense.
- alexbecker 12y agoIt's worth noting that the quick summation of Android permissions given to users isn't quite accurate. There are a limited number of permissions, and many of them (such as SD card read/write access) are very broad. So the summary Google uses is a lay description of the worst possible thing an app could do with those permissions, which may be much more invasive than what it actually does.
- _lce0 12y agoThe permission model is broken. I should not give permission at install-time, it should be asked at runtime, at OS-level, and I MUST be allowed to say no anytime .. if I trust the app enough, then I should be able to say "allow the app to do that thing for this hour/day/month/always" why mobile OS authors haven't learn anything from the web security model yet?
- prostoalex 12y ago> why mobile OS authors haven't learn anything from the web security model yet? Which mobile OS authors? The behavior you described is default in iOS.
- rco8786 12y agoIt's a common practice to do this "just in case" you need the permissions later on. When first installing an app users are likely to hit Ok to whatever, but when permissions change on an update they are hit with another screen that tells them the specific thing you are now asking permissions for.
- socrates2015 12y agoIf the author is correct, then Uber is not only asking for permission but actually reading all the information and sending it back to its servers.
- api 12y agoSounds like classic poor security UX design -- it encourages people to allow everything, and encourages apps to claim everything.
- TillE 12y agoI have a lot of issues with iOS, but I think Apple's UX here is clearly superior: it asks you about each individual permission an app requests (not on install, but when the permission is first used), and allows you to deny it.
- dvhh 12y agoWasn't that almost the same approach with UAC ?
- r00fus 12y agoAs usual, Microsoft did it first, but got the UX all wrong. Apple comes along does something very similar, but because of the App Store and the infamous review cycle, can enforce some semblance of control over the app ecosystem. Notice: Apple only does this fairly granular security on iOS, and OSX is much more similar to how Windows it.
- api 12y ago
- anigbrowl 12y agoYeah, my T-Mobile account app wants to know about my Photos and wifi status. Of course, after that my automatic photo upload stopped working and I have to sttart Google voice manually because they want me to use a T-Mobile app for international calling via Wifi and buy a new SIM card for the privilege. T-Mobile talks a big game but treats its customers little better than its competitors - I may go back to MetroPCS but I think T-Mobile bought them already :-/