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I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

404media.co

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Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#21

Post by Larrikin »

niij wrote: post #10
rnk wrote: post #7

The saluspa from "bestway" demands your location before allowing you to setup wifi remote control of the portable hot tub on the android app. I wonder how on android I can spoof the location used by an app, or if anyone figured out if you can control it without the app. I set it up away from my house and use a separate wifi network but it pissed me off.

Android apps used to need "location" access for bluetooth discovery. https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/05/19/android-12-apps-won...

The other poster already explained the old permission. There's also a new permission specifically for Bluetooth LE now as well for newer devices so location shouldn't be needed.

Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#23

Post by alwayslikethis »

expertentipp wrote: post #18

I have an impression that covid enabled widespread acceptation of QR codes, and now every app is excused to request camera and photo access because "we need to scan a QR code".

It would be nice to have a special way to scan a qr code in which the system reads the QR code for the app without the app being able to see raw camera data.

Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#25

Post by maldev »

rnk wrote: post #7

The saluspa from "bestway" demands your location before allowing you to setup wifi remote control of the portable hot tub on the android app. I wonder how on android I can spoof the location used by an app, or if anyone figured out if you can control it without the app. I set it up away from my house and use a separate wifi network but it pissed me off.

This could be a overly cautious legal requirement. I know heaters(dyson) won't allow you to control heat remotely in some locations, so instead of yanking out hot water from the app, they decide to ask your location to verify you're home.

Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#26

Post by RetroTechie »

fckgw wrote: post #14
denton-scratch wrote: post #13

So from my reading, the shitty behaviour is from the app, not the cable. Have I misread it? What happens if you try to use the cable without downloading the app? I for one would assume that my cable was defective, if it needed an app to work. I realize that HDMI cables are weird, and that like quite a lot of modern interconnect are not a monolithic standard, but come with multiple support levels; I wish that would st…

The adapter flashes a QR code on your monitor. It's not plug-n-play.

Requiring the use of an app, in order to use some kind of adapter cable? I must be getting old, feel like I've just crawled from under a rock... :-)

That would also mean this cable becomes useless the moment URL encoded in the QR disappears?

As for the app: even if it's total crap, if only 50% of cable-buyers proceed to install the app, that 50% is still gained as potentially spied-upon subjects. There's a new please-spy-on-me sucker born every day, so to speak.

Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#27

Post by dylan604 »

rnk wrote: post #7

The saluspa from "bestway" demands your location before allowing you to setup wifi remote control of the portable hot tub on the android app. I wonder how on android I can spoof the location used by an app, or if anyone figured out if you can control it without the app. I set it up away from my house and use a separate wifi network but it pissed me off.

The 4 outlet water timer I bought came with bluetooth remote functionality. It needs GPS location data for it to work. Nope. Should have known some shit like that would be part of the deal, and could have saved a few bucks by getting the version without remote.

People need to just stop with this tracking bullshit.

Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#28

Post by qingcharles »

rnk wrote: post #7

The saluspa from "bestway" demands your location before allowing you to setup wifi remote control of the portable hot tub on the android app. I wonder how on android I can spoof the location used by an app, or if anyone figured out if you can control it without the app. I set it up away from my house and use a separate wifi network but it pissed me off.

I tried to use Fanduel last night to place some bets for my friend in prison. It requires your location. You have to install some horrible app that installs a Windows Service and has no UI. It still won't work.

After a lot of digging around, I discovered you cannot use Fanduel if you have a wired device. The app _requires_ you to connect to your router by Wifi or it will not work. WTF.

Re: I Tested an HDMI Adapter That Demands Your Location and Spams You with Ads

#30

Post by mtreis86 »

cwoolfe wrote: post #15

Given that the device is plugged in, trusted, shows up as a computer, and requires external power, it has all the connections it needs spy on the screen (at minimum) and remote control the victim iPhone without permission in the worst case. (it has video feed, and can emulate USB keyboard and mouse) Yikes!

How hackable is it? That could be useful
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