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Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

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Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#121

Post by Florin_Andrei »

ddlatham wrote: post #107
dspillett wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Edit: CANCEL MY KNEE-JERK REACTION TO A KNEE-JERK REACTION! A few tweets down (good [deity] twitter is a terrible way to transmit information, this is why I don't generally bother with it) she does say the full library is sent. -------------------- > copying and uploading the libraries is actually illegal (copyright violation) That isn't what is happening here - the headline is misleading. Further into the tweet (FFS…

Even further into the tweets it says: "Facebook can upload the entire files of all system libraries to their server through their Android apps" and "I found they have already collected metadata of 2233 system libraries from my phone, in which 1162 system libraries are pending to be uploaded" So they've already uploaded the metadata and are in process of uploading the whole files.

Or the person misspoke.

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#122

Post by mindslight »

mirimir wrote: post #10

How the bloody hell is it permitted for apps to be uploading system files? This wouldn't be possible in Linux, right? Basically, this is malware. Edit: Thanks, all. So OK, I get that it's possible, because apps have read and execute permissions for all libraries that they use. But it's not common for apps to upload system files, right?

System libraries are trivially readable, but "Linux" escapes this problem by not setting itself up as a playground for malicious actors alongside personal use. The Android model is basically to give a shell account to anyone for asking, while trying to protect the privacy of the sysadmin.

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#124

Post by calhoun137 »

One reason to do this would be to discover what other apps the user has on their device which may not be detectable by other methods. That is valuable business intelligence that could be used in various ways for maintaining a competitive advantage. I got this idea from this reply:

https://twitter.com/nial_26/status/1167464788667928576

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#125

Post by mindslight »

rolph wrote: post #30

i was looking around to find lore regarding sandboxing android apps, so far i found this interesting: https://www.reddit.com/r/androidapps/comments/5n7ak9/any_app... And this too: https://www.gtricks.com/android/how-to-sandbox-android-apps-...

Buy a second device. $100 will get you a good used phone, $50 a decent used tablet. Then you can segregate your own use, say making your primary device microg+fdroid, and only using the device with the surveillance culture apps where necessary.

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#126

Post by beatgammit »

bt848 wrote: post #123

To the extent that Facebook has any utility at all, it works fine on a mobile web browser and when you close the tab it's gone. Why does anyone install the app?

I don't use Facebook, but mobile apps tend to add features compared to the web app, such as notifications, integration with other apps (e.g. contacts), and a cleaner UX.

That being said, even if I used Facebook, there's no way I'd install their app because I don't trust them.

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#127

Post by ppseafield »

beatgammit wrote: post #126
bt848 wrote: post #123

To the extent that Facebook has any utility at all, it works fine on a mobile web browser and when you close the tab it's gone. Why does anyone install the app?

I don't use Facebook, but mobile apps tend to add features compared to the web app, such as notifications, integration with other apps (e.g. contacts), and a cleaner UX. That being said, even if I used Facebook, there's no way I'd install their app because I don't trust them.

Indeed mbasic.facebook.com works, but it doesn't look as good and doesn't support message notifications. It's a trade-off I'll take for now, but not everyone will.

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#129

Post by bound008 »

godelski wrote: post #99
annadane wrote: post #39

How does the internal culture at FB come to grips with the world's vision of them as creepy and amoral and still do stuff like this anyway?

Because it happens in small steps. (I'm talking extreme end here, btw). Someone doesn't turn to high crimes overnight nor are they (usually) born that way. You start of making smaller immoral decisions which then become normal. You essentially move the bar a little more and more. People sleep at night frankly because they no longer think that these things are immoral. That's why there's plenty of sayings along the li…

Which episode? I can’t manage to find it.

Re: Facebook scans system libraries on Android and uploads them to their server

#130

Post by the8472 »

mruts wrote: post #119
the8472 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you had some secret sauce library, e.g. developing some new revolutionary phone feature, it would now have been exfiltrated to facebook.

It would also have been exfiltrated to everyone who uses Android.

I meant a prototype, before release.
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