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Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

androidpolice.com

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Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#11

Post by Ultramanoid »

jeswin wrote: post #5
Ultramanoid wrote: post #3

This is throwing the baby with the bathtub, completely ridiculous. They could remove internet permission from all applications except Google's own Chrome, with that reasoning. Instead of removing clipboard permissions from all applications, make it a clear option so that the user can give it when needed or only to a specific application, for instance the essential clipboard manager -- that Android incomprehensibly do…

I'd bet that less than 0.1% of users use a custom clipboard. Android's primary focus should be to make the OS secure for the nontechnical majority. These are people who don't understand permissions, and will click on app installer popups. IMHO this is a welcome move. An alternative would have been to deny all network access to clipboard apps - thereby ensuring that they are not able to steal any data.

According to numbers of downloads of clipboard managers, it's probably much higher than that. But the reasoning doesn't stand. Like I said, they could remove all phony Chrome clones with massive analytics and calls home, of which there are dozens, with read and write storage permissions, internet permission, etc, the list goes on and on. And say only Chrome is allowed, or vetted browsers from known vendors, like Mozilla or Microsoft, they certainly should, but they don't do it.

Yet they pick on an essential feature for anyone using copy and paste hundreds of times a day.

There is much more danger in rogue browsers, by far, than in a clipboard manager.

The solution is absolutely obvious. It isn't what they decided. It is just the first beta, but we'll see.

It'd be ridiculous to need to have a text file always open in another application with constantly used bits of text, code, or info, and switch back and forth as needed multiplying a simple workflow by who knows how much in operations and time.

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#12

Post by Ultramanoid »

jeroenhd wrote: post #6

I've never even thought about clipboard managers for Android. While I can see the lack of such tools might limit some users' productivity, I think the overal result of a change is still a positive one. I'd much rather see background clipboard access as a separate permission classified as "dangerous", but I doubt most people won't just click allow till the prompts stop happening. Maybe things would improve if aside fr…

There are many ways to do this. Off the top of my head right now, make it a developer option, off by default, and only accessible through the developer options menu, which also needs to be activated itself.

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#14

Post by deogeo »

ignoramous wrote: post #10
NeedMoreTea wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like Google deliberately misses the point in all privacy related changes. It's not in their interest to do it properly after all. It seems like the standard pattern for Android. Privacy, well the sorry state of, is why I switched to Apple 2 years ago. There's some pressure to resolve privacy issues so Google changes (breaks) something minor. Something that in no way impacts the top 10 of privacy and tracking…

> It seems like Google deliberately misses the point in all privacy related changes Harsh considering the fact that Google has been dedicating resources to privacy and took important steps to that affect with Android O [0] and Android P [1] and now with Android Q. They hosted a invite-only-industry-experts conference to understand the implications of wide-spread security and privacy issues with Android [2][3]. [0] ht…

Privacy against everyone except Google: https://www.cnet.com/news/new-study-finds-google-android-is-...

You would think with all those privacy resources, Google would be able to stop itself from spying. Perhaps a few more conferences will help?

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#15

Post by praneshp »

anoncake wrote: post #13

Google must be trying to make people root their phones.

You'd think so. In reality, only a vocal and miniscule minority cares about such things. The sweet discounts and price cuts sells their phones really well to the majority

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#16

Post by chopin »

Ultramanoid wrote: post #3

This is throwing the baby with the bathtub, completely ridiculous. They could remove internet permission from all applications except Google's own Chrome, with that reasoning. Instead of removing clipboard permissions from all applications, make it a clear option so that the user can give it when needed or only to a specific application, for instance the essential clipboard manager -- that Android incomprehensibly do…

In which Android version Internet needs permission? Mine (7.1.1) does not have such a setting.

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#17

Post by skybrian »

deogeo wrote: post #14
ignoramous wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It seems like Google deliberately misses the point in all privacy related changes Harsh considering the fact that Google has been dedicating resources to privacy and took important steps to that affect with Android O [0] and Android P [1] and now with Android Q. They hosted a invite-only-industry-experts conference to understand the implications of wide-spread security and privacy issues with Android [2][3]. [0] ht…

Privacy against everyone except Google: https://www.cnet.com/news/new-study-finds-google-android-is-... You would think with all those privacy resources, Google would be able to stop itself from spying. Perhaps a few more conferences will help?

Considering that the accuracy of the study it describes is disputed, that doesn't seem like a good link to back up your point?

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#18

Post by Ultramanoid »

chopin wrote: post #16
Ultramanoid wrote: post #3

This is throwing the baby with the bathtub, completely ridiculous. They could remove internet permission from all applications except Google's own Chrome, with that reasoning. Instead of removing clipboard permissions from all applications, make it a clear option so that the user can give it when needed or only to a specific application, for instance the essential clipboard manager -- that Android incomprehensibly do…

In which Android version Internet needs permission? Mine (7.1.1) does not have such a setting.

Applications require permissions to run.

Many require internet permission although it makes no sense. For instance all Google keyboards have internet permission. And most others. That something that can record and transmit every single thing one types has that permission, to me, seems insane and I certainly will use only keyboards that do not have such asinine requirement.

Edit : https://fixitalready.eff.org/android/#/

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#19

Post by deogeo »

skybrian wrote: post #17
deogeo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Privacy against everyone except Google: https://www.cnet.com/news/new-study-finds-google-android-is-... You would think with all those privacy resources, Google would be able to stop itself from spying. Perhaps a few more conferences will help?

Considering that the accuracy of the study it describes is disputed, that doesn't seem like a good link to back up your point?

1.) Disputed by Google as 'misleading'.

2.) Try this link then: https://apnews.com/828aefab64d4411bac257a07c1af0ecb (note that these studies don't cover the UI dark patterns encouraging you to give up your privacy 'willingly')

3.) Are we really going to pretend Google's spying is such a fringe idea that it needs a citation to be believed, and not their main business model?

Re: Android Q will kill clipboard manager apps in the name of privacy

#20

Post by skybrian »

deogeo wrote: post #19
skybrian wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering that the accuracy of the study it describes is disputed, that doesn't seem like a good link to back up your point?

1.) Disputed by Google as 'misleading'. 2.) Try this link then: https://apnews.com/828aefab64d4411bac257a07c1af0ecb (note that these studies don't cover the UI dark patterns encouraging you to give up your privacy 'willingly') 3.) Are we really going to pretend Google's spying is such a fringe idea that it needs a citation to be believed, and not their main business model?

The problem with this sort of argument is that I struggle to understand how people are actually harmed. It seems like people assume that Google is harming people, somehow, but it's not spelled out.

(It seems like collecting information, alone, shouldn't count as harm? It needs to be used for some bad purpose or disclosed to harm anyone.)

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