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Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

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Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#31

Post by steven2012 »

It sounds like this sends a report of all Internet usage to someone, not just the porn sites. That seems pretty weird to me and I can get why Google thinks it's spyware. It is easily an app where someone could install it on their spouse's phone without their knowledge so that they get a listing of their entire usage.

To call it as productivity app where it is obviously a tracking app is probably something that hurt your case.

Unfortunately the app is too close to actual spyware such that Google probably would rather close you down than risk this getting bigger.

Maybe you can make changes to your app so that it's not sending everything, just the porn sites and have there be some sort of notification to the user that the report is about to be sent. As it is, from what I can see, it could easily be used as spyware unfortunately.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#32

Post by colechristensen »

steven2012 wrote: post #31

It sounds like this sends a report of all Internet usage to someone, not just the porn sites. That seems pretty weird to me and I can get why Google thinks it's spyware. It is easily an app where someone could install it on their spouse's phone without their knowledge so that they get a listing of their entire usage. To call it as productivity app where it is obviously a tracking app is probably something that hurt y…

Then again, if you're not fairly careful, anyone with access to your google password can locate your phone, read your web history (Chrome), access backups of your photos, see a map of where you've been....

I support Google's decision here, but let's be honest, without being a hyper-vigilant user, the whole Google software ecosystem is an extraordinary piece of spyware itself.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#33

Post by moron4hire »

People should be able to install whatever software on their computers they want. "What if so-and-so grabs such-and-such's phone and installs it?" Well, the same thing applies to my PC. A lot of opsec goes out the window with physical access. Put a passcode on your phone.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#35

Post by userbinator »

moron4hire wrote: post #33

People should be able to install whatever software on their computers they want. "What if so-and-so grabs such-and-such's phone and installs it?" Well, the same thing applies to my PC. A lot of opsec goes out the window with physical access. Put a passcode on your phone.

People should be able to install whatever software on their computers they want.

I absolutely agree, but Apple and Google certainly don't (and Microsoft appears to be joining them.) They'll all claim that the reason they're restraining you is "for your safety", which is easily accepted by most consumers but not the ones who value freedom more. Sadly, the latter category appears to be a gradually decreasing minority.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#36

Post by notatoad »

iandanforth wrote: post #29
notatoad wrote: post #16

from the appeal: "My app helps people avoid pornography by monitoring their actions and reporting those actions to the person they specify" from the features list: "...is hard to circumvent...", "option to remove the icon in the status bar", "Accountability partners are notified if you ever disable the app". it's straight up spyware. it doesn't help you "avoid pornography" by blocking it like you would do if you actu…

You seem to have made up your mind on the intent of the creator, and the intent of its users. A constructive response however would have noted how you think apps with non-malicious intent, targeting people who genuinely want this type of functionality, can distinguish themselves. When I read your response I imagine a description of a hammer, which has "powerful striking force", and "a reinforced tapered claw", and "e…

non-malicious apps can distinguish themselves by following the google play guidelines on security and privacy - if you are monitoring the user, you have to have a persistent notification. you can't secretly monitor somebody's behaviour and then claim your app isn't a spying tool.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#37

Post by andrewstuart2 »

natch wrote: post #30
skyjacker wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spyware is typically unknown to the user, hence the word "spy". In this case, the developer is 100% transparent and users are paying for these features. Tracking and accountability are accurate descriptions here.

In real life, people can and do install apps on the devices of other people. You ignore this possibility, but let's not pretend: The app can be installed by a suspicious family member who knows the password (as many family members do, in the real off-HN world), and then hidden from the user of the device. This is absolutely the definition of spyware, even if the author either A) sincerely believes there is a legitima…

And google plus can be installed and configured to share location with someone else. Yet it's a clearly just a social app, though it doesn't show a notification that it's sharing your location.

Just because something can be used maliciously doesn't make it malicious. When people take that idea to the next level, we get abuse like Microsoft shutting down no-ip.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#38

Post by h4xar »

colechristensen wrote: post #32
steven2012 wrote: post #31

It sounds like this sends a report of all Internet usage to someone, not just the porn sites. That seems pretty weird to me and I can get why Google thinks it's spyware. It is easily an app where someone could install it on their spouse's phone without their knowledge so that they get a listing of their entire usage. To call it as productivity app where it is obviously a tracking app is probably something that hurt y…

Then again, if you're not fairly careful, anyone with access to your google password can locate your phone, read your web history (Chrome), access backups of your photos, see a map of where you've been.... I support Google's decision here, but let's be honest, without being a hyper-vigilant user, the whole Google software ecosystem is an extraordinary piece of spyware itself.

True, but you can't sneak the Google ecosystem into someone's phone the way you can sneak conventional spyware into it. Or can you? Hmm...

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#39

Post by saalweachter »

andrewstuart2 wrote: post #37
natch wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In real life, people can and do install apps on the devices of other people. You ignore this possibility, but let's not pretend: The app can be installed by a suspicious family member who knows the password (as many family members do, in the real off-HN world), and then hidden from the user of the device. This is absolutely the definition of spyware, even if the author either A) sincerely believes there is a legitima…

And google plus can be installed and configured to share location with someone else. Yet it's a clearly just a social app, though it doesn't show a notification that it's sharing your location. Just because something can be used maliciously doesn't make it malicious. When people take that idea to the next level, we get abuse like Microsoft shutting down no-ip.

I'm not familiar with the Google Plus location sharing, but I seem to recall using the old Google location sharing app, and receiving a periodic email from Google reminding me that it was turned on.

Re: Google play removed my productivity tracking app for spying

#40

Post by forgotpasswd3x »

tahooie wrote: post #14
jwatte wrote: post #9

Add an indicator that the app is running, and add some language in the description that directly (not just indirectly) addresses the policy. Re-submit and build up a new reputation. Yes, that sucks. The entire "we'll take 30% of your money but you can't talk to a real person and we won't tell you how we interpret your app in terms of our rules" is ludicrous. In the U.S. the market is supposed to bring forth more deve…

I have the persistent notification already. Android lets you remove the notification, so I made it easier for non-savvy people to hide it. I guess I'll take out the easy button, though my competitors all have it. Also, I'll send an email to EVERY registered account on the device when it is set up, instead of only the one they pick. That will make it even harder to use this for spying on someone who doesn't specifical…

>Also, I'll send an email to EVERY registered account on the device when it is set up, instead of only the one they pick.

This seems the best thing to do to distinguish your app from spyware. Even if you published it with the best of intentions, you've gotta admit that the features of the app can be abused to spy on the users without their knowledge. If you can reliably alert the user that they are being monitored, maybe that could help get the app approved again? For example, every X days, there is an alert stating that the app is installed and is monitoring website visits.

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