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Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

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Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#101

Post by TeMPOraL »

modzu wrote: post #55
kbenson wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is when not being complicated means they are aren't truthful. Do you track crashes? Do you have any logging that tracks an IP address? I view my dedicated home IP as personal, if not all that private, information. Does minimal logging actually require storing personal information? Is there a common, or legal definition of what personal information is? I'm all for simple policies, but I would also rather t…

the app collects no data whatsoever. i have no idea what your IP address is (the app connects directly to environment canada to retrieve the raw radar data). no crash data/telemetry is collected automatically, but bug reports are welcome on the github repo. so please don't insinuate that this policy is not true. and yes, there is a legal definition of personal information. since im based in canada, that would be as d…

> the app collects no data whatsoever. i have no idea what your IP address is (the app connects directly to environment canada to retrieve the raw radar data). no crash data/telemetry is collected automatically

!!! You're the best. Thank you! Unfortunately not US/Can, otherwise I'd immediately switch to your app just because of that (I'd buy it anyway if it was paid, just to show support).

I wish more devs would have this approach. You don't need telemetry to create good software. You don't need to monitor what the user does with your application, when and how. You don't need to log everything, or listen in on conversations with third-party APIs. You don't have to outsource testing and QA onto your users.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#102

Post by alphabettsy »

danjoc wrote: post #68
alphabettsy wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does having some kill switch solve the issue of an app that needs geolocation selling the data or otherwise using it in a way other than you intended?

Having an OS and apps I can trust to not send location data solves that problem. The kill switches ensures no roving bugs, modem AT commands, and passive tower triangulation when I'm not using the radio. Pretty simple really.

Only using “app you can trust” seriously limits what you can do on your device. This might be a solution for you, but it’s really not a solution to the privacy problem, it’s duct-tape on something that needs to be fixed on a larger scale.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#103

Post by samstave »

Doctor_Fegg wrote: post #97
samstave wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just think that installing a weather app in general is stupid. I just dont see the actual need to have one installed for the vast majority of people. Systems need weather apps/information: ships/boats, planes, etc... Your phone does not. Nor your desktop. There was a ship that was getting delayed weather information [0] and it sank and people died - and so its clearly important to track weather on ships and plans a…

“Read the weather off Google” is weird advice in a thread about companies collecting user data, given that no one does more of that than Google.

my point is that i dont need to install an app to type "temp in sf" in google and see if a jacket is needed.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#104

Post by sitkack »

dschuetz wrote: post #90
saagarjha wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy to figure out what an iOS device is connecting to: use a network extension that inspects network traffic. And given that Apple has none of the restrictions they impose on third party developers, they can essentially do what Little Snitch does on macOS.

There is no way to control the iOS firewall via extensions in iOS. Meaning, it's still not supported, and what you see as "essentially" the same misses the point. I want to block connections of specific apps. What iOS can do is reveal connections made by the network device to the outside. Duh. Set up Wireshark on some AP and get the same info.

Niche startup idea, VPN for your mobile device that can analyze and block traffic. Block entire countries, 3rd parties, etc. Give realtime feedback on their dashboard as applications are loaded. Could also be useful as a developer application profiling tool.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#105

Post by TeMPOraL »

samstave wrote: post #77
MBCook wrote: post #26

No surprise to see a number of weather apps on here. Seems to be such an incredibly scummy category. The built in Apple app is fine for basic information. There are plenty of high-quality third-party apps. Weather Line (my fav) is $2. DarkSky is $4. Instead people go for these weird free apps covered in ads with terrible UIs. The NOAA one isn’t made by the government, seems like using that name should be some kind of…

I just think that installing a weather app in general is stupid. I just dont see the actual need to have one installed for the vast majority of people. Systems need weather apps/information: ships/boats, planes, etc... Your phone does not. Nor your desktop. There was a ship that was getting delayed weather information [0] and it sank and people died - and so its clearly important to track weather on ships and plans a…

It's a convenience/UX thing.

Also, "read the weather off google" is essentially equivalent to having a very shitty weather app, with crappy UX and which requires you to always be on-line (whereas decent weather apps will cache their forecasts).

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#106

Post by dawnerd »

sitkack wrote: post #99

How do I blackhole all traffic to these 3rd party data collection companies? The apps aren't even using their own bandwidth. This is a disgrace that Apple is allowing this and doesn't provide a control to monitor or stop it.

Hopefully someone will add the tracking domains to a pihole list. Doesn't help when you're on the go through unless you vpn to a network you own with a pihole installed.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#107

Post by kiallmacinnes »

MBCook wrote: post #26

No surprise to see a number of weather apps on here. Seems to be such an incredibly scummy category. The built in Apple app is fine for basic information. There are plenty of high-quality third-party apps. Weather Line (my fav) is $2. DarkSky is $4. Instead people go for these weird free apps covered in ads with terrible UIs. The NOAA one isn’t made by the government, seems like using that name should be some kind of…

> The NOAA one isn’t made by the government, seems like using that name should be some kind of copyright infringement.

I'm pretty sure copyright doesn't apply here! It's possible it's a trademark infringement? (No idea if the name or acronym are trademarked though), or possibly impersonation of a government entity? Either way, it's certainly not a copyright issue to use the name.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#108

Post by dawnerd »

lawnchair_larry wrote: post #51

I really wish there was a reliable way to just shitlist all of these affiliate/analytics/tracking/ad SDKs device-wide. Third party SDKs sending who-knows-what to who-knows-where is such a plague in the app ecosystem, and even the developers including them seem to have no idea what the implications are. I don’t want any of them, ever.

pihole is really easy to setup and the default block list gets a large chunk.

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#109

Post by [deleted] »

modzu wrote: post #55
kbenson wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is when not being complicated means they are aren't truthful. Do you track crashes? Do you have any logging that tracks an IP address? I view my dedicated home IP as personal, if not all that private, information. Does minimal logging actually require storing personal information? Is there a common, or legal definition of what personal information is? I'm all for simple policies, but I would also rather t…

the app collects no data whatsoever. i have no idea what your IP address is (the app connects directly to environment canada to retrieve the raw radar data). no crash data/telemetry is collected automatically, but bug reports are welcome on the github repo. so please don't insinuate that this policy is not true. and yes, there is a legal definition of personal information. since im based in canada, that would be as d…

[deleted]

Re: Popular iPhone apps caught sending user location data to monetization firms

#110

Post by hrktb »

MBCook wrote: post #26

No surprise to see a number of weather apps on here. Seems to be such an incredibly scummy category. The built in Apple app is fine for basic information. There are plenty of high-quality third-party apps. Weather Line (my fav) is $2. DarkSky is $4. Instead people go for these weird free apps covered in ads with terrible UIs. The NOAA one isn’t made by the government, seems like using that name should be some kind of…

I think weather is a difficult subject for apps.

A bit like calendar or to do lists, aside from the very basics, everyone wants something different. And people don’t like paying in general, but all the more so if they feel their needs are not completely met.

I remember PocketCast founder explaining they started iOS dev with a weather app for Australia because none really worked for their country.

This is also evident in all the local apps in every country. DarskSky you mention isn’t even available internationaly for instance. A flurry if low quality but free and mildly niche apps seems inevitable.

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