Open letter from an Android developer to the Google Play team • Hacker News Board

Re: Open letter from an Android developer to the Google Play team

#241

Post by xvector » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 12:00 PM UTC

ajscanlan wrote: post #191

xvector wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not any links on hand, but try it yourself. Load up Firefox with the best tracking prevention tools you can find. Go to https://panopticlick.eff.org/ . See how many bits of entropy you have. Do the same in Safari.

I did some testing. Android - Firefox - Ghostery + uBlock: "Strong protection against Web tracking" 17.59 bits of identifying information iOS - Safari - Stock: "Some protection against Web tracking" 17.59 bits of identifying information iOS - Safari - AdBlockPlus: "Some protection against Web tracking" 17.59 bits of identifying information (Exact same as Stock? Blocks ads though) Mac - Safari - Stock: "Some protectio…

That is strange. I had about 13 bits of information, so did my coworkers.

Re: Open letter from an Android developer to the Google Play team

#242

Post by xvector » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 12:03 PM UTC

bad_user wrote: post #195

xvector wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not any links on hand, but try it yourself. Load up Firefox with the best tracking prevention tools you can find. Go to https://panopticlick.eff.org/ . See how many bits of entropy you have. Do the same in Safari.

Not sure what I'm supposed to see, however this is my Firefox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/iiahhn1hb05nm5w/Screenshot%202019-... And this is my Safari (with the most popular content blocker active): https://www.dropbox.com/s/4n4hxbnumcyqegu/Screenshot%202019-... So my Firefox has less bits of entropy than my Safari, although I do admit that my Firefox has a custom configuration (it isn't out of the box), but so does my…

I got 13 bits from Safari. Safari 12 introduced advanced fingerprinting resistance, I think they’re pretty far ahead of Firefox here.

Re: Open letter from an Android developer to the Google Play team

#243

Post by m-p-3 » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 3:25 PM UTC

Like many said, at some point it's your livelihood that is one the line, and Google taking actions without providing any details is downright malicious, and I expect someone to get their financial life ruined.

Sometimes, a deep-rooted issue is unfixable through technological or verbal mean, and litigation would be the only way to get your life back and I sure hope that Google will get hit at some point.

Re: Open letter from an Android developer to the Google Play team

#244

Post by gwbas1c » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 8:03 PM UTC

peterwwillis wrote: post #104

gwbas1c wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Class action lawsuit

In theory yes, but I can't imagine what the claim would be; "They won't let me make a business out of selling apps on their platform" ? It feels like monopoly would be easier to prove: "There is no other competitor to provide an app on these devices and people depend on them for critical tasks". In a way, this mimics the breakup of Ma Bell. AT&T controlled all the phone service, and they also created all the hardware…

The plaintiffs just have to prove harm. Based on the article, this looks very easy to do.