iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes • Hacker News Board

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#431

Post by Nullabillity » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:02 AM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #108

patrickyeon wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've only ever been an Android user, but for a while I was paying a lot of attention to iOS too. It seems to me like they've been back and forthing, as one side figures out some improvements, the other side more-or-less re-implements them on their next release with their own unrelated improvements. Seems like a good thing, really.

Not being an Android user, one of the negatives that was often talked about (maybe no longer true?) is that a lot of phones could not upgrade to new versions of Android. Is that still a thing, or was that limited to the lower tier phones?

Apples vs oranges. With iOS the norm seems to be that apps support 1 version back, if even that. So as soon as your device is no longer updated (or if you dislike the update!), you're stuck.

Android puts much more emphasis on backwards compatibility, with Google moving more and more functionality into app libraries rather than system frameworks. Our app still supports Android 4.4 (released in 2014!).

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#432

Post by aneutron » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:02 AM UTC

OldHand2018 wrote: post #150

In the coming days I feel as if we are going to see a lot more threads about the new privacy features in iOS 14. Apple has a video overview of a lot of the new stuff [1]. I suggest watching it (at 2x speed - they talk very slowly). Especially at 16:30 where they emphasize that SDKs are part of your app and that you the developer are fully responsible for the data collection of any SDK you include in your app. This is…

That's it. I'm switching to iOS. Android is like child's play when it comes to privacy compared to the features introduced just in this version of iOS. I'm sure I'll hate the lack of customizability but at least the privacy features are solid.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#433

Post by eknkc » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:03 AM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #425

pwdisswordfish2 wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It seems like a ton of apps are abusing this feature:" Honest question: Why do we need this feature? As a user, I am happy to sacrafice whatever benefit it provides -- to end users -- to stop the abuse. Obviously the feature provides benefits to app developer personal data collectors. OK by me to remove feature.

I've never seen a "I will paste your clipboard for you" feature be used in any app, ever.

I like parcel tracking apps detecting a tracking number in clipboard

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#434

Post by lifeisstillgood » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:04 AM UTC

tomduncalf wrote: post #400

WA wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am certainly happy about the steady pro-privacy process. I personally consider Apple full of shit until two features are released: 1. Contact sharing needs a complete overhaul. Some apps need to have access to my contacts. I get this. But they only need the name and the phone number. They don’t need addresses, birthdays and additional notes I put in m contacts. Sure, I could have a separate contacts app with "meta…

Looks like photos is addressed in iOS 14 https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/24/apple-fine-tunes-... Agree tighter control over contacts sharing would be nice but I don’t think it’s malicious on Apple’s part that this isn’t possible - they’ve quite clearly shown they are on the side of user privacy, but they do also tend to move at a fairly slow pace

The choice of only allowing access to specific actual photos seems an unusual one.

I would have thought there was a big debate in Product Mgmt over this vs the more obvious allow an app access to a given album.

One presumes the sticking point came when someone took a photo out of an album. Does that mean they are explicitly removing access? I don't see it as a huge issue... maybe there is some kind of technical hurdle involved as well, otherwise the choice seems unusual

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#435

Post by mda » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:08 AM UTC

cwhiz wrote: post #122

shawnz wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Android similarly has been continually improving the privacy/permissions model of the OS when it comes to third party apps. I am not sure that Apple has any obvious advantage in that department specifically.

Android is a spyware operating system filled with first party spyware apps developed by Google.

This sounds like some crappy grafiti slogan.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#436

Post by lwhi » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:12 AM UTC

rimjongun wrote: post #304

realusername wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anybody can have a look at the ROM to see if it makes sense whereas only Apple can realistically audit the iPhone.

You say “anybody” But I’m not a programmer, I would have no idea what I’m looking at. And trust me, neither would the vast majority of humans. Beyond that, have you considered the actual average user? You either never worked tech support or forgot. It’s bad out there, it’s like people are moving backwards with computer skills because of phones.

The difference is realistically possible vs not possible.

I think the point stands.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#437

Post by iso1631 » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:19 AM UTC

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #434

tomduncalf wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks like photos is addressed in iOS 14 https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/24/apple-fine-tunes-... Agree tighter control over contacts sharing would be nice but I don’t think it’s malicious on Apple’s part that this isn’t possible - they’ve quite clearly shown they are on the side of user privacy, but they do also tend to move at a fairly slow pace

The choice of only allowing access to specific actual photos seems an unusual one. I would have thought there was a big debate in Product Mgmt over this vs the more obvious allow an app access to a given album. One presumes the sticking point came when someone took a photo out of an album. Does that mean they are explicitly removing access? I don't see it as a huge issue... maybe there is some kind of technical hurdl…

Do normal people really use albums? Other than the autogenerated ones I have a single one, from 2013.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#438

Post by saint-loup » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:21 AM UTC

spideymans wrote: post #348

greggman3 wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Manipulating the clipboard is not the problem, reading it is. AFAIK there is no way to read the clipboard from JavaScript without user interaction. If there is please post a repo. It used to be true but all that was fixed like 10 years ago.

I’m curious, how does Google Docs paste from the clipboard when I click the “paste” button from within the Google Docs UI?

In Firefox it doesn't. When you click, a modal panel appears reminding you of the shortcuts.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#439

Post by fsflover » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:21 AM UTC

eknkc wrote: post #433

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never seen a "I will paste your clipboard for you" feature be used in any app, ever.

I like parcel tracking apps detecting a tracking number in clipboard

Is it also fine that tracking apps read all your passwords in the clipboard?

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#440

Post by overheadnoise » Thu, Jun 25, 2020, 8:23 AM UTC

_-___________-_ wrote: post #426

WA wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am certainly happy about the steady pro-privacy process. I personally consider Apple full of shit until two features are released: 1. Contact sharing needs a complete overhaul. Some apps need to have access to my contacts. I get this. But they only need the name and the phone number. They don’t need addresses, birthdays and additional notes I put in m contacts. Sure, I could have a separate contacts app with "meta…

What I want to see with Contacts is 1) a way for apps to display a view that shows the contact name for a phone number, with specified styling / sizing / etc, but without being able to determine what that contact name is. 2) an App Store rule that forbids apps from requiring contact access unless they can't function without it. WhatsApp forces you to provide contact access, giving Facebook your place in the social gr…

WhatsApp works so well because it is tied into the same contacts that you already have on your phone. Without access to your phone’s contacts you would need to set up and manage an entirely separate set of contacts. Right now, Grandma could download WhatsApp and instantly start chatting with her granddaughter without having to remember what her phone number is because it’s already there. That’s a major selling point of WhatsApp.