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It's a good tool, certainly much better than the play store's almost hidden "View permissions" link. Perhaps it can be enhanced to take into account API level
by lovelearning 12y ago
It's a good tool, certainly much better than the play store's almost hidden "View permissions" link.
Perhaps it can be enhanced to take into account API level differences too, since that sometimes has a significant impact on what the app is allowed to do.
For example, READ_CONTACTS allows an application to read the user's contacts data, but in IceCreamSandwich and lower, it also allows the app to read call logs, which is an altogether different set of data in the eyes of an end user.
Combine that with INTERNET permission, and basically you have an app which can send all your call logs to whomever it wants.
- bndw 12y agoInteresting, I did not realize READ_CONTACTS gave access to call logs in <= IceCreamSandwich. I wish Android used a permissions model similar to iOS, where the application prompts the user for specific permissions as needed, rather than up front.
- lovelearning 12y agoPerhaps the most reliable way to know exactly what all a permission allows, is to write an analyzer tool that analyzes android platform sources and/or bytecode looking for calls to permission APIs, creates a list of such calling methods, and finally maps these callers to what data they affect. Not sure if the underlying native binaries too use these permissions, but if they do, they too can probably be analyzed. I wonder if such a tool already exists.