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Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

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Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#11

Post by Someone »

Ralith wrote: post #8
sp332 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the idea was that you wouldn't install apps on your phone that you didn't trust. Obviously that didn't turn out to be practical so now they're adding more fine-grained control.

> the idea was that you wouldn't install apps on your phone that you didn't trust We've known this doesn't work out on PCs for years; why would phones be any different?

This phone has a much more restricted installation experience. There is only one installer, and Apple knows who to blame if any of the software it installs turns out to be malware.

I think the idea was that that tractability would deter people from trying to put malware on the App Store.

And that has worked reasonably well. Yes, there were several cases of apps that did not inform users that they uploaded data to implement features they advertised, but I am not aware of downright malware (say a fart app that uploads you address book to some server), and yes, Charlie Miller got a nefarious app on the App Store, but that malware was traceable back to him.

The thing Apple did not think through well enough is the privacy issue. Users can feel uncomfortable about apps uploading their data, even if that is necessary to implement app functionality, because they may not trust the app writer to do nothing else with the data.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#12

Post by xtractinator »

Ralith wrote: post #8
sp332 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the idea was that you wouldn't install apps on your phone that you didn't trust. Obviously that didn't turn out to be practical so now they're adding more fine-grained control.

> the idea was that you wouldn't install apps on your phone that you didn't trust We've known this doesn't work out on PCs for years; why would phones be any different?

Because Apple solves all the hardest problems.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#13

Post by Karunamon »

timdorr wrote: post #9
e40 wrote: post #7

Let's hope this goads Google to do the same thing in Android.

They already do this to an extent with permissions. It's not as in-your-face about it, but it's certainly far more fine grained (read vs. write access, more services have permissions, etc.)

I'd call it completely the opposite of fine grained. You can't, for instance, restrict an individual app's access to the calendar. You're shown what permissions an app wants on install, but you can't revoke individual ones. You're stuck taking or leaving it.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#14

Post by zmmmmm »

timdorr wrote: post #9
e40 wrote: post #7

Let's hope this goads Google to do the same thing in Android.

They already do this to an extent with permissions. It's not as in-your-face about it, but it's certainly far more fine grained (read vs. write access, more services have permissions, etc.)

Not really. There are virtually no permissions that can be approved on a case by case basis in Android. Google claims that interactively approving permissions will make life "too complex" for developers. I hope this inspires them to be a little more open minded about it. There are so many useful but optional features of apps that need intrusive permissions (eg: read your contacts) - but apps need to request blanket permissions to them up front, which is just silly. I think developers can handle a little if-else logic especially if the trade-off is they can avoid the stupidity of having to push multiple versions in to the app market just to cater for different permission requirements.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#16

Post by StavrosK »

zmmmmm wrote: post #14
timdorr wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already do this to an extent with permissions. It's not as in-your-face about it, but it's certainly far more fine grained (read vs. write access, more services have permissions, etc.)

Not really. There are virtually no permissions that can be approved on a case by case basis in Android. Google claims that interactively approving permissions will make life "too complex" for developers. I hope this inspires them to be a little more open minded about it. There are so many useful but optional features of apps that need intrusive permissions (eg: read your contacts) - but apps need to request blanket p…

You can (and should) install LBE privacy guard. If you don't want an app to access, say, your contacts list, it gets an empty contacts list.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#17

Post by laconian »

Karunamon wrote: post #13
timdorr wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already do this to an extent with permissions. It's not as in-your-face about it, but it's certainly far more fine grained (read vs. write access, more services have permissions, etc.)

I'd call it completely the opposite of fine grained. You can't, for instance, restrict an individual app's access to the calendar. You're shown what permissions an app wants on install, but you can't revoke individual ones. You're stuck taking or leaving it.

Imagine how that would make life for developers, forced to deal with the combinatorial explosion of revoked permissions.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#18

Post by Karunamon »

laconian wrote: post #17
Karunamon wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd call it completely the opposite of fine grained. You can't, for instance, restrict an individual app's access to the calendar. You're shown what permissions an app wants on install, but you can't revoke individual ones. You're stuck taking or leaving it.

Imagine how that would make life for developers, forced to deal with the combinatorial explosion of revoked permissions.

You mean exactly like how it's going to be on iOS when 6 lands? Developers are smart. They'll engineer their apps to live if permission is revoked.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#19

Post by laconian »

Karunamon wrote: post #18
laconian wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how that would make life for developers, forced to deal with the combinatorial explosion of revoked permissions.

You mean exactly like how it's going to be on iOS when 6 lands? Developers are smart. They'll engineer their apps to live if permission is revoked.

Developers produce bugs all the time.

Re: Apple now requires user permission in iOS 6 before apps can access private data

#20

Post by rodh257 »

Karunamon wrote: post #18
laconian wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how that would make life for developers, forced to deal with the combinatorial explosion of revoked permissions.

You mean exactly like how it's going to be on iOS when 6 lands? Developers are smart. They'll engineer their apps to live if permission is revoked.

there are a lot more permissions in Android than there are in iOS http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.perm...
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