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Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

voys.co.za

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Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#31

Post by cmsj »

AlexandrB wrote: post #16

With the exception of Signal, I never give apps access to my contacts. If you think that's paranoid, remember how apps like LinkedIn used this kind of information in the past[1]. Thankfully on iOS apps almost always work without contact access (is this mandated by App Store rules?). It's not clear from the article if the app just asks for access to contacts or requires it, but if you can't make your Voip app work wit…

Absolutely the same here. WhatsApp is a nightmare to use without contacts, but I don't care, they are not having my contacts.

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#32

Post by londons_explore »

thebeardisred wrote: post #21
AlexandrB wrote: post #16

With the exception of Signal, I never give apps access to my contacts. If you think that's paranoid, remember how apps like LinkedIn used this kind of information in the past[1]. Thankfully on iOS apps almost always work without contact access (is this mandated by App Store rules?). It's not clear from the article if the app just asks for access to contacts or requires it, but if you can't make your Voip app work wit…

While I don't doubt that you never give apps access to your contacts, how many apps do you use as _dialers_?

iOS doesn't even let you change the dialer.

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#33

Post by turminal »

grishka wrote: post #19

Thankfully the use of Google Play is not mandatory. You could as well distribute your app from your website and make it update itself — you know, just like people did for ages with desktop software.

Yeah, good luck with that. Nearly nobody installs apps from outside Google Play.

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#34

Post by londons_explore »

ziddoap wrote: post #7

I'm not familiar with mobile app review process, would any change in code require a re-review/re-submit? If Google approved it as-is, could the developers add a few lines as an "update" and skip over the full review process? Seems like the ruling is being made on what can be done with the current permissions, rather than what is being done. If that's the case, I sympathize with the devs but I think I support the posi…

The code review is done 'black box' - ie. the reviewer doesn't have access to the code.

All the reviewer can see is what permissions the app has. They see internet permission and contacts permission, and have to assume that evil code might be uploading the contacts to the internet.

There isn't really any other way to do it - even a thorough code audit (a process that would take months for just a single app) would be unlikely to uncover a well hidden flaw that is intended to allow an evil app developer to steal contacts of users only after the app passes the review process.

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#35

Post by thatguy0900 »

AlexandrB wrote: post #16

With the exception of Signal, I never give apps access to my contacts. If you think that's paranoid, remember how apps like LinkedIn used this kind of information in the past[1]. Thankfully on iOS apps almost always work without contact access (is this mandated by App Store rules?). It's not clear from the article if the app just asks for access to contacts or requires it, but if you can't make your Voip app work wit…

Seems like a lost fight to me, if a few friends have these apps your social web is already known to a great extent anyway

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#37

Post by naikrovek »

Andrex wrote: post #29
squarefoot wrote: post #9

The mobile ecosystem has been built with the sole intent of milking users through targeted advertising, media consumption and unnecessary services subscription, so I find normal that corporations behind the OSes fight hard to maintain the platform as closed as possible (proprietary or seemingly open OSes, closed drivers, locked bootloaders etc). Their deepest fear is seeing their ecosystem conquered by Open Source, o…

Oh man, you should have seen the mobile sphere before Android...

no joke. what a hellhole that was.

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#38

Post by 0xCMP »

thatguy0900 wrote: post #35
AlexandrB wrote: post #16

With the exception of Signal, I never give apps access to my contacts. If you think that's paranoid, remember how apps like LinkedIn used this kind of information in the past[1]. Thankfully on iOS apps almost always work without contact access (is this mandated by App Store rules?). It's not clear from the article if the app just asks for access to contacts or requires it, but if you can't make your Voip app work wit…

Seems like a lost fight to me, if a few friends have these apps your social web is already known to a great extent anyway

It is, but it's worth being a pain in this respect because it makes it obvious we need a way to limit which contacts an app can see similar to how you can limit photos for an app.

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#39

Post by naikrovek »

turminal wrote: post #33
grishka wrote: post #19

Thankfully the use of Google Play is not mandatory. You could as well distribute your app from your website and make it update itself — you know, just like people did for ages with desktop software.

Yeah, good luck with that. Nearly nobody installs apps from outside Google Play.

that's not exactly true, though of course I don't have numbers.

maybe that is something you just don't see a lot, but that happens often?

Re: Google is forcing us to make our open source VoIP app worse

#40

Post by secretsatan »

I kinda sorta see google’s side. There are just too many shady operators out there who will swear blind they’re completely honest, and maybe they are, but they also employed a third party to write code or maybe just imported a 3rd party lib (i am in no way saying this is the case)

As to, why don’t they look at the code? bugger that being standard practise, i’m not handing over my code to google or apple.

Even if they did, how to check final the uploaded binary?

I’m not doubting the article, but the mobile app world is flooded with shady operators at all levels, and i don’t really buy the real paranoid arguments here

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