This has little to do with Uber and is all to do with Android.
Care about privacy. Use Google products. Pick one.
Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
101–110 of 257 posts
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't even understand why they need local access to figure this out. Poll the web API for last_login and be done with it. Surely they're already tracking and storing this kind of data on their end.
It's so they can quickly switch between the most recently used maps application like Waze or Google Maps for drivers.
Please don’t state speculation as fact.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
This page has more detail on Android's permissions model: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/security/permissio... I don't really understand the point of having fine-grained permissions (like READ_CONTACTS), when the user only sees broader permission groups. Can someone shed light on this?
> Can someone shed light on this? Whoever is in charge of the permission system is absolutely nuts. Or it's designed by the committee from hell. Those are the only reasons I can think of. No one sane would create this. They actually wanted to "simplify" the permissions system and let the user have more control/understanding. You could argue they've done the first... at the expense of everything else. Half of it seems…
>Yes sure, because I granted an application "Coarse location data", just go ahead and automatically (WTF?) give it "Fine location data" permissions too, because hey, it's all just "location data" right? Not like I might have wanted to give it coarse and not fine on purpose...
Does iOS have separate permissions for the different location resolutions or distinguish reading contacts from writing contacts?
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think that will solve this particular problem. It wan't your browsing history from the device. What we desperately need is a UL for privacy. Just like UL tests electronics, we need a lab to test these apps for what data they access and how they make use of that data. Then assign a score so consumers can chose not to use services that request unnecessary permissions and misuse your data.
No, what we need is the ability to modify the system software on our phones easily to stop this kind of thing. On a normal Unix system you would just run the app as a separate user (or worst case, sandbox it) but on android non of the interfaces (or really much of anything at all) can be controlled by the user.
That is simply not a solution that will work for more than 0.1% of the populace. While you meant nothing wrong, your "solution" repulses me because I don’t care about this sort of thing just for myself and other supernerds, but for my friends and family and countrymen as well.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#105From a reddit comment: > The permissions you see on the install screen are actually triggered by various permissions in the permission group. I've checked Ubers (there's a button on the web play store and you can see it in the manifest), and the only one from the Device and App History group they actually use is "GET_TASKS", or get a list of recently opened apps. > Furthermore, on Lollipop this permission doesn't eve…
This sounds like a prepared PR statement to manipulate opinion and downplay the new permissions.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#106There is definitely an Uber presence on HN doing damage control.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#107Anyone who knows android dev knows this is a non issue. The permission they request doesn't even do anything in lollipop and later. Sounds more like a bad dev than anything malicious. What's the saying? Never attribute to malice with what can be explained by stupidity?
>Never attribute to malice with what can be explained by stupidity Hanlon's razor
With the modern anti-corollary: neoliberalism.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#108From a reddit comment: > The permissions you see on the install screen are actually triggered by various permissions in the permission group. I've checked Ubers (there's a button on the web play store and you can see it in the manifest), and the only one from the Device and App History group they actually use is "GET_TASKS", or get a list of recently opened apps. > Furthermore, on Lollipop this permission doesn't eve…
This sounds like a prepared PR statement to manipulate opinion and downplay the new permissions.
I made the comment on Reddit. Have never even used Uber, just a developer from Belgium. This is a question I've had this question many times before, and Android permissions are just a mess in general. The permission grouping has scared many people since it's introduction.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
if all they do is send the data home, you won't know what they use it for。。
If you'd find out the Uber app is sending home your browser history, this is big news already! I'm in CEST, if I wouldn't be sleeping right now I'd start up Burp, Charles or Fiddler to check.
Im a journalism student and would like to investigate this issue. Can you keep me up to date if you find out anything?
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't even understand why they need local access to figure this out. Poll the web API for last_login and be done with it. Surely they're already tracking and storing this kind of data on their end.
It's so they can quickly switch between the most recently used maps application like Waze or Google Maps for drivers.
But StavrosK just claimed it doesn't work that way. He said that it will only tell you about instances of your own app, not others (such as Waze or Google Maps).