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When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

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Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#41

Post by skinner927 »

aftbit wrote: post #32
ryandrake wrote: post #27

I’m all for the “fake data” idea, but also: Apps should be required to gracefully handle the cases where users deny permission to access real data. I know last time I developed for iOS, it was Apple’s policy that apps cannot punish users or exit() the app in retaliation for them denying a permission. Apps must gracefully handle it and continue running. Also, and this was even longer ago, apps could not require users…

Every smart home app seems to want an account on Android. Maybe they have a different path on Apple, related to HomeKit or similar, but I'm a bit skeptical.

Tasmota + CloudFree + Home Assistant and never make an account again and have full control over the devices in your home. No accounts and your lights still work when your internet is down.

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#42

Post by barnabee »

jasonmarks_ wrote: post #29

As an app developer I do not like this idea. You want to break the contract on what that permission is intended to be. ("Weather the Trip" road trip weather app for the U.S.)

As an app user, I want you as an app developer to have no control whatsoever over how I use your app and no way whatsoever to know if any data it gets from my device is real.

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#43

Post by jsnell »

chongli wrote: post #8
codetrotter wrote: post #2

> When an app asks for permissions, the OS should not only let you answer yes or no. Every category should have a "yes, but feed the app fake data" option. A significant amount of people don’t even know how to forward an email. Imagine the havoc that would ensue when people try to use Google Maps for navigation, and they choose to feed it fake data because they don’t understand what it means. Google Maps: “Turn right…

Do a lot of people use Google Maps on iOS? I ask because the “feed fake data” option is something I could imagine Apple doing but never in a million years would I believe Google would do it. Apple Maps wouldn’t have this issue. It’s capable of running offline (without a data connection) because it can download maps to the device.

> Apple Maps wouldn’t have this issue. It’s capable of running offline (without a data connection) because it can download maps to the device.

Why would that matter? Even if the map data is cached locally, a navigation app obviously needs a GPS location from the phone, which requires it to be granted permissions. And the fake data would be equally disastrous to any navigation app.

Or are you suggesting that if Apple were to add a feature for generating fake data, it'd only apply to 3p apps and not their own? I'll admit that it would be totally on-brand behavior.

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#44

Post by spockz »

aftbit wrote: post #34
charcircuit wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>region-locked apps There is no such thing. The respective app stores allow you to distribute apps in select regions. This is an important feature for app stores because an app may not be a good experience in all countries. The app may not be localized to all languages, there may not be content moderators for those languages, those countries have a multitude of laws that you need to comply with, your app may include…

>This is a feature requested app developers due to the legal requirements when licensing content such as movies. Movie studios don't want people streaming or recording their movies so app platforms need a way to surely show this content. Of course, but if our industry had any chutzpah, we would have simply said "no, that's impossible" and continued to distribute operating systems where the user has ultimate control o…

Don’t share this too hard. I’m afraid for a future where we are only able to watch content that is being streamed to our ocular implant directly. This has the nice benefit that it allows for hyper personalisation and always visible hyper relevant ads!

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#45

Post by mormegil »

ryandrake wrote: post #27

I’m all for the “fake data” idea, but also: Apps should be required to gracefully handle the cases where users deny permission to access real data. I know last time I developed for iOS, it was Apple’s policy that apps cannot punish users or exit() the app in retaliation for them denying a permission. Apps must gracefully handle it and continue running. Also, and this was even longer ago, apps could not require users…

> apps could not require users to have “an account” in order to run

There is some big qualification missing or I don't understand what does that even mean. How could a banking app run without an account? An online game? The Twitter app nowadays? Dropbox/Nextcloud/...? Etc.

Yeah, I agree that for a lot of apps, requiring a account is just a marketing gimmick, but I don't think such a general rule could work.

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#46

Post by abrax3141 »

“If someone asks you a question they’ve got no business asking, you’re under no obligation to tell them the truth.” — Leonard Schiffman

(From: “Blend me in: Privacy-Preserving Input Generalization for Personalized Online Services” https://drive.google.com/file/d/10OmoqMmHFcb7PsQtaU_GW4aCAJe...)

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#47

Post by pavel_lishin »

shadowgovt wrote: post #6
easterncalculus wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an entirely UX problem then. You could bury the data faking deep in the settings, clearly explain what it does in plain language before enabling it as well as plainly telling the user onscreen that the application is being fed information for privacy reasons that they themselves enabled (and can easily disable). There is always someone who will end up enabling this erroneously, but it would provide a lot of v…

The people who are savvy enough to jump through those hoops are savvy enough to rock a phone that is modded to feed fake data already.

I'm savvy, but I'm also lazy.

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#48

Post by LovinFossilFuel »

progbits wrote: post #3

XPrivacy for rooted android could do this 7+ years ago and there are other modern alternatives (but I haven't rooted my phone for a long time so I can't vouch for them): https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy Obviously that is not mainstream, I agree it should come built in. But then both Android and iOS allow bullshit like region-locked apps or preventing screenshots from DRM content, so good luck with that.

[dead]

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#49

Post by severino »

codetrotter wrote: post #2

> When an app asks for permissions, the OS should not only let you answer yes or no. Every category should have a "yes, but feed the app fake data" option. A significant amount of people don’t even know how to forward an email. Imagine the havoc that would ensue when people try to use Google Maps for navigation, and they choose to feed it fake data because they don’t understand what it means. Google Maps: “Turn right…

Well, you don't really need to feed fake GPS data to have Google Maps make you drive into the ocean or things like that.

Re: When an app asks for permissions, it should have a “feed fake data” option

#50

Post by pavel_lishin »

GravitasFailure wrote: post #12
codetrotter wrote: post #2

> When an app asks for permissions, the OS should not only let you answer yes or no. Every category should have a "yes, but feed the app fake data" option. A significant amount of people don’t even know how to forward an email. Imagine the havoc that would ensue when people try to use Google Maps for navigation, and they choose to feed it fake data because they don’t understand what it means. Google Maps: “Turn right…

>Google Maps: “Turn right” >Guy driving alongside the ocean: “ok” >Car: *splash* This seems like a learning opportunity. Or a Darwinian opportunity. Either way, self-solving.

> This seems like a learning opportunity. Or a Darwinian opportunity.

Not for the passengers.

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