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Just went to install this app. Asks for identity, Location (understandable given the nature), photos, media, files, device ID and call information, and wi-fi c

by rjbwork 12y ago

Just went to install this app. Asks for identity, Location (understandable given the nature), photos, media, files, device ID and call information, and wi-fi connection info. No thanks. How can you call your app anonymous and require my identity and contents of my device?

danieltillett 12y ago
You lie. More seriously since I can't be bothered reading another TC fluff piece, did they explain how they are going to make any money out of Yik Yak?
- philipDS 12y ago
  "And of course, there’s also the question of how Yik Yak will make money — as Crook joked, “don’t worry about the money” is something they say in Silicon Valley, but in New York they say “worry about the money” — a nod to the conference’s New York location. But that $70+ million in outside funding allows Yik Yak’s co-founders to delay thinking about monetization for some time. Local ads are in the back of their minds, said Buffington, but they are not even looking to test that yet. Instead, the company has the freedom to focus on the user experience and growth, which is what they plan to do."
  - danieltillett 12y ago
    Two paragraphs to say we have no idea. I guess there is always the extortion option.
ceejayoz 12y ago
On iOS, it asks only for location data.
- rjbwork 12y ago
  They should do the same for android then. I'd definitely install it, it seems interesting.
- trhway 12y ago
  May it be that iOS quietly gives everything else to the app?
  - rdsnsca 12y ago
    Pretty sure iOS allows no app access to some of that info.
  - ceejayoz 12y ago
    iOS permission requests happen in-app rather than at install time, and they're definitely not "quietly given". Each permission gets a separate dialog, Apple's review process rejects requests that aren't tied to functionality, and iOS doesn't allow access ever to device ID, call information, etc.
denzil_correa 12y ago
> How can you call your app anonymous and require my identity and contents of my device? The way these anonymous social media apps work is that they distinguish anonymity from traceability. Since you are traceable (or identifiable via your mobile device), you are NOT anonymous in the eyes of the social media service (in this case Yik Yak). It however, provides you anonymity against the users of the social media. For many Internet users, this is sufficient. Recently, we did some analysis (sensitivity, type, potential audience and linguistic characterists) on the content posted on anonymous social media like Whisper [0]. One of the things we found is that not all content is equally sensitive in terms of anonymity. [0] http://socialnetworks.mpi-sws.org/papers/anonymity_shades.pdf http://socialnetworks.mpi-sws.org/papers/anonymity_shades.pd...
nly 12y ago
It's about as anonymous as this forum if you're posting from a cellular or residential broadband network.
- rjbwork 12y ago
  Yes, well i know this name is pseudonymous and someone who actually tried could probably figure out who I was. Yik Yak seems very different from hacker news.

by rjbwork 12y ago

danieltillett 12y ago

You lie. More seriously since I can't be bothered reading another TC fluff piece, did they explain how they are going to make any money out of Yik Yak?

philipDS 12y ago
"And of course, there’s also the question of how Yik Yak will make money — as Crook joked, “don’t worry about the money” is something they say in Silicon Valley, but in New York they say “worry about the money” — a nod to the conference’s New York location. But that $70+ million in outside funding allows Yik Yak’s co-founders to delay thinking about monetization for some time. Local ads are in the back of their minds, said Buffington, but they are not even looking to test that yet. Instead, the company has the freedom to focus on the user experience and growth, which is what they plan to do."
- danieltillett 12y ago
  Two paragraphs to say we have no idea. I guess there is always the extortion option.

ceejayoz 12y ago

On iOS, it asks only for location data.

rjbwork 12y ago
They should do the same for android then. I'd definitely install it, it seems interesting.
trhway 12y ago
May it be that iOS quietly gives everything else to the app?
- rdsnsca 12y ago
  Pretty sure iOS allows no app access to some of that info.
- ceejayoz 12y ago
  iOS permission requests happen in-app rather than at install time, and they're definitely not "quietly given". Each permission gets a separate dialog, Apple's review process rejects requests that aren't tied to functionality, and iOS doesn't allow access ever to device ID, call information, etc.

denzil_correa 12y ago

> How can you call your app anonymous and require my identity and contents of my device? The way these anonymous social media apps work is that they distinguish anonymity from traceability. Since you are traceable (or identifiable via your mobile device), you are NOT anonymous in the eyes of the social media service (in this case Yik Yak). It however, provides you anonymity against the users of the social media. For many Internet users, this is sufficient. Recently, we did some analysis (sensitivity, type, potential audience and linguistic characterists) on the content posted on anonymous social media like Whisper [0]. One of the things we found is that not all content is equally sensitive in terms of anonymity. [0] http://socialnetworks.mpi-sws.org/papers/anonymity_shades.pdf http://socialnetworks.mpi-sws.org/papers/anonymity_shades.pd...

nly 12y ago

It's about as anonymous as this forum if you're posting from a cellular or residential broadband network.

rjbwork 12y ago
Yes, well i know this name is pseudonymous and someone who actually tried could probably figure out who I was. Yik Yak seems very different from hacker news.