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Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

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Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#101

Post by jve »

grishka wrote: post #43

I really wish mobile OSes would allow you to grant apps permissions but serve fake data, (that's important!) without giving the app the ability to tell the difference. Just so it appears to the app that you've given the permission, when you in fact have not. This would solve this entire class of problems and then some. So, for example: - App "has" access to contacts, but the system returns that you have none. - App "…

Well, from user perspective would be useful, but I don't have much expectations it would be implemented in, say, Android. They ofcourse want quality data.

Haven't done in-depth Android development, but I believe there is option to fake some GPS data? Ofcourse, not that helpful if you want 1 app to have real data, the other... not so real.

Proper way would be force devs think about REQUIRED and OPTIONAL permissions you can give. REQUIRED permissions are given on launch (or maybe you just get useless app), OPTIONAL permissions for improved features and fails gracefully if not given. It currently works that way, but is up to developer to implement it that way.

Perhaps adding advantage to those apps that do not REQUIRE sensitive permissions. Say a filter in Play Store you can use to filter our apps that require X permissions to work. In some cases, devs would be incentivized to REQUIRE less permissions.

When writing this comment, I thought about another solution. User profiles on android. Like on browser, where you get your own cookies etc. Googled around and.. looks like Android has something to offer!? Doesn't solve location, but perhaps Storage/Contacts.

https://source.android.com/devices/tech/admin/multi-user

https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/2865483?hl=en

> Notifications appear for all accounts of a single user at once.

> Notifications for other users do not appear until active. Each user gets a workspace to install and place apps.

> No user has access to the app data of another user.

> Any user can affect the installed apps for all users.

> The primary user can remove apps or even the entire workspace established by secondary users.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#102

Post by Timpy »

Thanks for sharing this, I've been trying to move away from Google Drive and I was about to go all in on Dropbox. The recent layoffs made me question Dropbox a little but this is the final nail in the coffin. I'm looking for something Linux friendly if anybody has a solution they're loving right now. Backblaze B2 maybe?

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#103

Post by mcintyre1994 »

lima wrote: post #42
paublyrne wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should be still able to log in with the same email with user/password, without being asked for a new permission.

I don't even have a password, I think.

Does requesting a password reset work? Some websites will let you set a password on an OAuth account using that.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#104

Post by lsaferite »

poxobloc wrote: post #95

OP here. Just to clarify some confusion. I can still login using my username and password. I just liked the simplicity of logging in via Google, since I was already logged in there. Seems like I'm no longer able to do that and, from what I read here, some users might be completely locked out unless they give access to Google contacts.

I stopped using Google login a while back after having a hard time moving an account to a different google account. I realized that the benefits do not outweigh the problems AND that I really didn't want Google being the gatekeeper to all these other accounts. It's also what has started me on the path of moving off of all Google products. I still like Google, but the honeymoon is certainly over.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#105

Post by robertlagrant »

koheripbal wrote: post #82
arendtio wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not so sure if oauth is to blame alone. I mean, it is a technology that lets you control what you want to share. However, engaging in business with a partner who decides to change the rules, is something I see a lot more critical. So maybe the lesson should sound more like - 'Don't use Dropbox for anything you care about' or - 'Don't do business with large corporations for anything you care about' To clarify, I…

Isnt the point here that you don't have control? Seems like you need to allow contact access to use google login at all. There is no fine grained control to permissions.

That's not oauth, that's just the granularity the auth provider has decided to expose in its permissions system, and the granularity Dropbox have opted to request.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#106

Post by tmslnz »

Many of us here are taking the opportunity to suggest Syncthing. I second that. We have been using it for years in our studio, moving much more data than it would ever be possible or practical with Dropbox and never had a bad surprise. We were also pleasantly surprised to see it working flawlessly behind a fairly thick NAT/Firewall when working from home. It's very stable, resilient and easy to set up for anyone lurking on HN.

However it is not as easy as Dropbox to set up for non-technical peeps, which is a bit of a shame as it hinders broader adoption.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#107

Post by Philip-J-Fry »

KingOfCoders wrote: post #53
Ensorceled wrote: post #18

I left dropbox when they changed the full page upsell to "dropbox business" so that I couldn't easily figure out how to skip it and get on with my work. I had a paid pro account at the time. I actually had a conversation with a product manager; I checked the yes you can contact me when I cancelled my account. They simply refused to admit that an upsell was a advertisement and that disrupting my workflow on my paid, p…

Same with the ads for Amazon videos on Amazon Prime. They are ads and I don't want ads. But they don't see it that way (don't get me started on the forced watching of texts on Blue Rays).

I personally don't mind the ads on Amazon Prime because they're instantly skippable and do actually show things I might be interested in. Plus they don't show random shit like ads for a car or a TV or something. I don't sit and browse Amazon (because the browsing experience on Amazon prime is dogshit), so I go straight to anything I want to watch on there. The only opportunity to discover new shows on there is usually from outside of Amazon, or their pre-roll ads.

Also, they should stop showing me ads for things I've watched.

They better not make them unskippable ever.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#109

Post by grishka »

jve wrote: post #101
grishka wrote: post #43

I really wish mobile OSes would allow you to grant apps permissions but serve fake data, (that's important!) without giving the app the ability to tell the difference. Just so it appears to the app that you've given the permission, when you in fact have not. This would solve this entire class of problems and then some. So, for example: - App "has" access to contacts, but the system returns that you have none. - App "…

Well, from user perspective would be useful, but I don't have much expectations it would be implemented in, say, Android. They ofcourse want quality data. Haven't done in-depth Android development, but I believe there is option to fake some GPS data? Ofcourse, not that helpful if you want 1 app to have real data, the other... not so real. Proper way would be force devs think about REQUIRED and OPTIONAL permissions yo…

I'm primarily an Android developer myself and I do respect my users and that's why I have no job, so yes, I request permissions only when they're absolutely necessary and when it's obvious as to why the permission is needed.

The bigger problem, though, is that you can't trust bad actors to act good. DNT in browsers has showed that extremely clearly: it was meant as a marker for you to not be tracked, yet advertisers used it as an additional bit for fingerprinting. Policy might be a way, but it relies on humans looking at apps. It's always much more effective to have technical measures in place, if possible. As in, no mater how much you'd like, you can't track a user across the web if their browser doesn't accept third-party cookies. And many app developers are in no way better than web developers with their incentives, intentions and tactics, it's just that the web makes these issues more noticeable.

Re: Tell HN: Dropbox now requires access to contacts for Google login

#110

Post by ilikepi »

jjbinx007 wrote: post #89
KingOfCoders wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same with the ads for Amazon videos on Amazon Prime. They are ads and I don't want ads. But they don't see it that way (don't get me started on the forced watching of texts on Blue Rays).

Ads on Amazon Prime are infuriating. And I can't help think how annoying it must be for people with disabilities. My other bugbear are the auto playing videos on Netflix and the use of massive spoilers in episode thumbnails. As a single consumer in a vast ocean I don't think my opinions will ever be listened to. Right now it's worth putting up with this crap as the benefits outweigh the cost but if it gets any worse…

> My other bugbear are the auto playing videos on Netflix and the use of massive spoilers in episode thumbnails.

You can actually turn off "Autoplay previews" now. You have to log into your account from a web browser, and then look at the Playback settings for the profile you want to change.

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