Facebook can now read your texts • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#171

Post by 01Michael10 » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 4:15 PM UTC

dlwiest wrote: post #164

01Michael10 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not a Facebook app user since closed my account years ago so maybe not the best person to comment but... I have never understood why one needs an app to view a website? Facebook has a mobile site that works yes?

The app can push notifications to your phone, which is nice for regular users, and it can merge with contacts to fill in blank pictures and provide more information. It's not essential, but some of the integration is nice.

If I every get Facebook notifications on my mobile phone you are authorized to shot me in the head...

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#172

Post by cheriot » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 4:26 PM UTC

Ever since Facebook requested permission to paint over other apps, I've refused to upgrade or uninstall just to contribute an infinitesimal amount to the maintenance cost of their software.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#173

Post by eigenvector » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 4:43 PM UTC

StavrosK wrote: post #115

blueskin_ wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It used to be, called App Ops. It was in for (one?) point release before google promptly withdrew it again after realising that giving people tools to protect their privacy goes against their mission.

They didn't really withdraw it, they just hid it better. I downloaded App Ops X and it still works fine on 4.4.whatever.

App Ops X can only work with root on 4.4.x. In 4.3 it could expose the hidden options to the user without additional permissions.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#174

Post by reddit_clone » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 4:47 PM UTC

kissickas wrote: post #170

zrgiu_ wrote: post #147

Like others have said, on Android you can use App Ops, and if you're on 4.4.2, App Ops X ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colortiger... disclaimer: I developed it). It still sucks that you're on an "open" platform but you still have to root/jailbreak your phone to keep your privacy.

Cool app, thanks. Is there a place where I can see an explanation for all of these permissions? I have no idea what the difference between "location" and "monitor location" is, for example.

Total guess based on their names: Location probably refers to retrieving the location of the device using an API.

Monitoring Location likely means continuously getting notification about device location as you are moving around.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#175

Post by lost_name » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 4:55 PM UTC

Facebook had this permission a long while ago and apparently removed it at some point. People complained about the same thing then, too.

Ref: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-might-be-reading-you... from Feb. 2012

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#176

Post by StavrosK » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 4:56 PM UTC

eigenvector wrote: post #173

StavrosK wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They didn't really withdraw it, they just hid it better. I downloaded App Ops X and it still works fine on 4.4.whatever.

App Ops X can only work with root on 4.4.x. In 4.3 it could expose the hidden options to the user without additional permissions.

Ah, I didn't know it needed root, I guess I root everything so I never noticed. Too bad.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#177

Post by patja » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 5:04 PM UTC

What I find more insidious is the new FB app permissions that allow it to read all of your private calendar data. Maybe no big deal for many people, but I put a lot of stuff into my calendar entries that I consider pretty private info.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#178

Post by king_jester » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 5:06 PM UTC

blueskin_ wrote: post #109

Maakuth wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to Google [1], it was never meant to ship at that point as it was not ready for general public. There was some compatibility problems with many applications, so that is somewhat believable. [1] http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Removes+App+Ops+Privacy+Cont...

Of course, they have to spin it some way, because they're years past the point they could be honest and believed. I think it's more likely one google engineer wanted to resist the constant invasion of privacy and likely ended up paying with his job.

App Ops throws SecurityExceptions when you try to access a permission, it doesn't return empty data. You can imagine that most apps didn't build exception handling into the feature access that is required in the manifest at install time. That is the primary reason why it is not a fully public feature for users.

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#179

Post by Nicholas_C » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 5:06 PM UTC

DonGateley wrote: post #82

SMS is nothing. There are now many Android apps that demand the right to turn on your microphone any time they want to without notifying you. If you carry an Android phone and are not really careful about permissions you are carrying a wire.

Which apps would those be?

Re: Facebook can now read your texts

#180

Post by maxr0 » Tue, Jan 28, 2014, 5:13 PM UTC

SwellJoe wrote: post #57

maxr0 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"draw over other apps" is to implement chat heads (see http://www.piwai.info/chatheads-basics/ )

Which caused me to freak out when it first happened. I was furious. I had to stop everything I was doing immediately in order to figure out how to disable it. I can't possibly state emphatically enough how user-hostile that feature is. It is so disruptive to my thought process...it's nearly as bad as that awful focus-stealing thing that Windows does.

I can understand it might have been unnerving but on the other hand the feature was documented in the change log and in the list of new permissions the app required (in the version chat heads were introduced). Personally I find chat heads convenient and useful