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Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

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Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#181

Post by azernik »

enraged_camel wrote: post #154
ross-life wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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-writ…

It's more like append-only in all of these cases - think of the things you want unprivileged processes to be able to do to your logs, for instance.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#182

Post by lsc »

5ersi wrote: post #170
lsc wrote: post #163

this is why I don't use an android device as my primary phone, even though my perception is that you get rather more bang for your buck, hardware wise, on android phones, and even though the samsung gear VR looks like someone implemented one of my less-realistic fantasies. On IOS, yes, uber asks for access to my contacts list, I click 'no' and uber works just fine (modulo the 'spam my friends' feature, which I didn't…

This is how it works in Android 6 - permissions are requested as needed and user can deny them individually. Unfortunately apps have to be build against the new API, so it does not happen automatically for old apps.

Interesting! I hadn't heard anything about it past the 4.4.2 kerfluffle[1] I thought I looked, but maybe I haven't looked hard enough? - I've had family complain to me that they can't use uber because of the 'uber wants access to my contacts' issue.

hm. Perhaps I ought to research this; the gear VR does seem really great, especially if you can somehow wire a text editor into it. (I already have a bluetooth mechanical keyboard)

[1]https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-p...

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#183

Post by magicalist »

dredmorbius wrote: post #137

Google released, then withdrew, an interface for revoking and limiting application permissions. On existing Android devices. Three years ago. We know they can do this. We also know they don't care. The challenge is to make them care. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-p...

Yeah, it would be awesome if they would release an android update that allowed you to revoke and limit application permissions.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2015/08/building-bett...

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#184

Post by jonathankoren »

fahrradflucht wrote: post #174
jonathankoren wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't permission overreach du rigueur on Android? Seriously, I thought that this was a preferred engineering pattern on Android due to platform weirdness or something.

Yes it is/was. The problem is/was that your app stops getting auto updates if you add permissions later. A lot of users never go into the update section and grant new permissions and so your app stays on the version with the old permission set for ever.

I knew I wasn't just making it up, and because of that, I'm at -2.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#185

Post by esafwan »

I have often wondered why Android don't categorise or have some mechanism to allow users revoke permission later. I have been a long time Android user but recently started using iPhone. I don't like iPhone for many reasons but then the control you have on turning on and turning off location, data connectivity, access to photos etc from one screen is really something you should have on all device. I felt the need of this, when Facebook asked for permission to read my messages.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#186

Post by jogzden »

esafwan wrote: post #185

I have often wondered why Android don't categorise or have some mechanism to allow users revoke permission later. I have been a long time Android user but recently started using iPhone. I don't like iPhone for many reasons but then the control you have on turning on and turning off location, data connectivity, access to photos etc from one screen is really something you should have on all device. I felt the need of t…

This feature has been available on Android M for a while now. Sadly, the fragmentation of versions running on the Android platform is the biggest threat to its security.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#187

Post by ikt »

losvedir wrote: post #158
StavrosK wrote: post #42

From 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.

> I don't think I've changed my settings from the default and for me at least (Nexus 5, Lollipop)

If you have a nexus 5 why aren't you on marshmallow?

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#188

Post by grogenaut »

Spare_account wrote: post #180
chris_wot wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I'm afraid that in Uber's case this is what you must assume. Normally I don't default to such a state, I honestly feel that most times it's just incompetence within an organization, but in Uber's case they have been a bad actor for a long time now so they just can't be trusted. I won't be using Uber, ever.

I'm a latecomer to this situation, what have Uber done in the past to earn that reputation? Genuine question.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/18/7240215/uber-exec-casuall... http://www.businessinsider.com/an-uber-exec-brought-up-the-i...

to start... theres more

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#189

Post by frostymarvelous »

Spare_account wrote: post #180
chris_wot wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I'm afraid that in Uber's case this is what you must assume. Normally I don't default to such a state, I honestly feel that most times it's just incompetence within an organization, but in Uber's case they have been a bad actor for a long time now so they just can't be trusted. I won't be using Uber, ever.

I'm a latecomer to this situation, what have Uber done in the past to earn that reputation? Genuine question.

Uber us quite literally a supervillain! They've done almost every despicable thing in the tech industry. Sabotage, illegal practices etc al. That's why this is actually big on HN. With uber, shoot first then ask questions later!

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#190

Post by riprowan »

jarnix wrote: post #71

This permission should just simply not exist. I had two games and an another app. The browsing history was, in this case, used for targetting ads. I did not need the apps and uninstalled the apps (it was around 2 years ago, on previous version of Android I think). The apps on Android should be sandboxed and not be given this kind of permissions, that's all.

Exactly. If an app requests a permission it should not need, then it should simply be considered malware and rejected with a big 1-star review.
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