Uber could provide much more than a point to point ride service in its current traditional sense if users are willing to give up more data. For example, it could provide user a tour/travel experience to match with the proper driver if it knows you are traveling. Or send you off to a nice dining experience if it knows you are a foody, etc.
Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
151–160 of 257 posts
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#152Crazy town app permissions are what keep me from using Android. I really wouldn't be able to install half the apps out there that ask for all sorts of permissions that are frankly obnoxious.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, obviously it's possible for them to gain access, I'm saying I don't know of any desktop apps that need access to any of that other than one time bookmark importing.
For example, you may wish to use an editor or viewer on any file on your machine.
Relevant username? :P
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#154Earlier 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…
>>- Want to write contacts? Here's reading too! Want to write texts? Here's reading too! Same as above really. Is the use-case of wanting an application to be able to add to my data (at my request) but never-ever read all my data really that hard to predict?
I've configured security for a large variety of systems and I've never heard of a write-only permission. Read-only is often seen as a lesser right than read-write.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
Either that's not entirely truthful, or the app permission system is totally broken... Need to find out when you last opened the app? "Get running apps"...?
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.
Why make a network call if the device can give you that information locally?
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#156Earlier 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.
Why make a network call if the device can give you that information locally?
First, you're making a network call anyway, because that's what apps do, so the data is implicit. You simply group by user id and subtract the timestamps of the requests.
But let's say for some reason, you can't collect app-open timestamps. What could you possibly want to do with it locally? Say, "Hey it's been x days since you last used me. Thanks for coming back!"? These are stats you want in aggregate, which means sending the data back to the servers for actual data analysis. You're not going to do that analysis -- or any analysis -- on the device, since there's nothing to compare to.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#157Didn't Uber just admit to giving Feds their data on all their users? What's the thought on Uber having access to such data as browsing and passing that along to the feds too?
No they didn't.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#158From 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…
But once it's granted, the app can auto-update in the future and use more of that permission set.
I don't think I've changed my settings from the default and for me at least (Nexus 5, Lollipop) if an app has the same permissions set, it will update automatically, if it requests more it will prompt me to agree.
So even if the use of the permissions is innocuous now, it's bad news for the future to grant it.
Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#159Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps
#160Earlier 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.
Does the app log in every time it starts up, or does it just have a stored access token that is simply supplied with future requests regardless of whether it's been 5 hours or 5 months?
Given what the uber app does when it starts up (show you a map of your locations, with data from a few uber cars moving across it), I'd bet the app essentially contacts the servers immediately when it starts.
The only this would get them is "how many times did a user try to get an uber without data connectivity" ...