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Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

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Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#41

Post by MichaelGG »

askyourmother wrote: post #4

Edit: interestingly, this comment had five points before the uber fans modded away. Easier to click down then explain rogue apps I suppose... They were lucky they didn't try the beta version of the new forthcoming uber app - that version wants access to the phones of all your friends, family, neighbours, your postman, the sister of the locksmith that helped you get the spare key last year, and the chap you met on the…

Your comment was downvoted because it doesn't add to the conversation and is mostly nonsense ("sister of the locksmith?").

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#42

Post by StavrosK »

From a reddit comment:

> The permissions you see on the install screen are actually triggered by various permissions in the permission group. I've checked Ubers (there's a button on the web play store and you can see it in the manifest), and the only one from the Device and App History group they actually use is "GET_TASKS", or get a list of recently opened apps.

> Furthermore, on Lollipop this permission doesn't even do anything anymore. The relevant function in the framework has been changed and only returns instances of the caller's own app now. So Uber can see when you last used Uber. Big deal.

> Basically, this is a big fuss for nothing. Uber is not accessing your browser history, and if you're on Lollipop or above they can't access your app history either. They may do that on lower versions, but it's most likely to counter buggy behaviour on those older verions and not to spy on you.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#43

Post by derFunk »

qihqi wrote: post #39
derFunk wrote: post #34

Come on guys, where are the academics? Instead of overreacting please just reverse engineer, get the facts and check WHY the Uber app actually requests these permissions. I mean, it's still Java, so you got the source. I don't think they're using native code or do more obfuscation than the average app (disclaimer, haven't checked (yet)). Who's first?

if all they do is send the data home, you won't know what they use it for。。

If you'd find out the Uber app is sending home your browser history, this is big news already! I'm in CEST, if I wouldn't be sleeping right now I'd start up Burp, Charles or Fiddler to check.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#44

Post by Nullabillity »

swiley wrote: post #23
electic wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that will solve this particular problem. It wan't your browsing history from the device. What we desperately need is a UL for privacy. Just like UL tests electronics, we need a lab to test these apps for what data they access and how they make use of that data. Then assign a score so consumers can chose not to use services that request unnecessary permissions and misuse your data.

No, what we need is the ability to modify the system software on our phones easily to stop this kind of thing. On a normal Unix system you would just run the app as a separate user (or worst case, sandbox it) but on android non of the interfaces (or really much of anything at all) can be controlled by the user.

Android has supported multiple users for quite a while now.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#45

Post by threatofrain »

brad0 wrote: post #36

Anyone who knows android dev knows this is a non issue. The permission they request doesn't even do anything in lollipop and later. Sounds more like a bad dev than anything malicious. What's the saying? Never attribute to malice with what can be explained by stupidity?

I think that proverb is not for accuracy, but rather for gentle social relations. Otherwise, a more balanced approach would sound like, attribute a set of factors X to a phenomena Y in whatever way you think is most fit or empirically economical, or better sounding would be, "choose the middle way".

That way, you are neither under-trusting nor over-trusting.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#46

Post by Nullabillity »

SG- wrote: post #28

I don't even understand why Android would even let then happen. I can't even think of desktop apps that try to gain access to your history or bookmarks let alone a mobile app. One time bookmark import is a thing I suppose, but that's different than gaining permanent access once granted.

History sync, search personalization.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#48

Post by JeremyBanks »

ludamad wrote: post #8
ape4 wrote: post #2

Presumably they want to see if you are running Lyft.

And it wouldn't do anything for if you had two phones, right? This is pretty annoying as someone who still wants to use Uber. Enough that I would consider a competitor.

In what scenario would a person be using one phone for Lyft and one for Uber?

I use two phones, but I have both apps on both.

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#49

Post by matt_wulfeck »

StavrosK wrote: post #42

From a reddit comment: > The permissions you see on the install screen are actually triggered by various permissions in the permission group. I've checked Ubers (there's a button on the web play store and you can see it in the manifest), and the only one from the Device and App History group they actually use is "GET_TASKS", or get a list of recently opened apps. > Furthermore, on Lollipop this permission doesn't eve…

Either that's not entirely truthful, or the app permission system is totally broken...

Need to find out when you last opened the app? "Get running apps"...?

Re: Uber wants access to browsing history, bookmarks, and running apps

#50

Post by arca_vorago »

DINKDINK wrote: post #37
brad0 wrote: post #36

Anyone who knows android dev knows this is a non issue. The permission they request doesn't even do anything in lollipop and later. Sounds more like a bad dev than anything malicious. What's the saying? Never attribute to malice with what can be explained by stupidity?

>Never attribute to malice with what can be explained by stupidity Hanlon's razor

Is a logical fallacy that is overused and hardly ever true, and should be relegated to the dustbin of intellectual discourse where it belongs.
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