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iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

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Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#471

Post by lwhi »

TheDong wrote: post #147
the_gipsy wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

not a single person, but the sum of all people looking at the different parts. that's how open source works.

I mean, I've known a few developers that worked at apple. I trust them every bit as much as the average developer who reads open source code. They vouched that the code they worked with at apple was attempting to be secure and wasn't trying to steal user's data. If I'm not going to read the source code myself either way, why should I trust that random open source code-reader X who says "yup, didn't see any malicious…

I don't think the issue we should worry about will always just be one bad actor in an organisation.

A corporation like Apple (or TikTok) will sometimes decide to implement features that are antithetical to its users best interests, because there's a commercial imperative to do so.

If the code is closed-source, it's more difficult to assess whether this is the case.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#473

Post by waltpad »

I wonder how the clipboard API could be fixed.

I suppose that the current scheme is that apps are monitoring paste events, and when it happens have a look at the clipboard for copied data.

Perhaps the clipboard shouldn't be visible at all, and only when the user decides to paste content should the targeted app receive a "paste" message with the copied data (or perhaps some more complicated selection mechanism with a list of recent copies à la emacs). This would essentially merge the 2 steps process outlined above into a single operation.

It's probably more complicated than that though.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#474

Post by Majestic121 »

pdimitar wrote: post #470

I applaud Apple for the continued privacy efforts, including finer-grained Photos access (linked by another poster in this thread: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/24/apple-fine-tunes-... ). But at the same I can't help but be bitter. The smartphone scene is very active ever since, I don't know, 2011? All the companies and shady information dealers have gathered mountains of private information. Is this not to…

It is steps in the good directions, and as far as I know they are way more advanced than Android on this point.

Those features would have been welcome a few years ago, that's for sure, but let's not blame them now that they do what's right.

What's out there is already out there, you're right, but we can hope that those shady information dealers will have much more trouble in the future.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#475

Post by rimliu »

Nullabillity wrote: post #431
dylan604 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not being an Android user, one of the negatives that was often talked about (maybe no longer true?) is that a lot of phones could not upgrade to new versions of Android. Is that still a thing, or was that limited to the lower tier phones?

Apples vs oranges. With iOS the norm seems to be that apps support 1 version back, if even that. So as soon as your device is no longer updated (or if you dislike the update!), you're stuck. Android puts much more emphasis on backwards compatibility, with Google moving more and more functionality into app libraries rather than system frameworks. Our app still supports Android 4.4 (released in 2014!).

No, the norm on the iOS is current and two versions back. It is also worth mentioning that iOS are usually supported for much longer than Android.

iphoneOS 15 will be supported by iPhone 6S: this was released in 2015. If app supports iOS 12 (which most do, as it is only one version below the current iOS 13) it means they support iPhone 5S: which was released in 2013.

And Apple users are likely to update: 92% run the latest version, and 7% are on the iOS 12.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#476

Post by rimliu »

SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #244
greggman3 wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not wrong. Browsers don't have a walled garden. They just try to be secure period. Apple's fictions is their walled garden saves you from bad apps. It doesn't. There have been and will be plenty of bad apps. A secure platform saves you from bad apps, period.

You're both right. The walled garden has nothing to do with security, AND security isn't binary.

So walls and fences have nothing to do with security? Interesting. I will even say, world-shattering news.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#477

Post by pdimitar »

Majestic121 wrote: post #474
pdimitar wrote: post #470

I applaud Apple for the continued privacy efforts, including finer-grained Photos access (linked by another poster in this thread: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/24/apple-fine-tunes-... ). But at the same I can't help but be bitter. The smartphone scene is very active ever since, I don't know, 2011? All the companies and shady information dealers have gathered mountains of private information. Is this not to…

It is steps in the good directions, and as far as I know they are way more advanced than Android on this point. Those features would have been welcome a few years ago, that's for sure, but let's not blame them now that they do what's right. What's out there is already out there, you're right, but we can hope that those shady information dealers will have much more trouble in the future.

> It is steps in the good directions, and as far as I know they are way more advanced than Android on this point.

I have the same impression. Which is saddening because I thought of going back part-time to Android and experiment with homelab builds and p2p architecture with a few spare Android devices. But I am not comfortable with how much and lower-level Google and the phone's vendor have and I am sure that no matter how I secure an app with access to photos/contacts/etc. then the kernel could likely still extract the info it needs... Don't know, but I am quite paranoid about smartphones lately.

> let's not blame them now that they do what's right.

Agreed. Better late than never. I simply feel that marketing trumps privacy concerns here. Apple wants to have what to brag about every year so features that should come once every 2-3 months are coming annually instead.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#478

Post by mjhagen »

WA wrote: post #388
alfalfasprout wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People love to hate on Apple but the fact is, they continue to release features to better showcase or restrict developers that abuse your privacy. The "walled garden" also ensures they apply a ton of checks to apps to better restrict abuses. Sometimes it's overly sensitive and bad things happen, but in general it's awesome that over time it becomes harder and harder to get away with apps blatantly spying on you.

I am certainly happy about the steady pro-privacy process. I personally consider Apple full of shit until two features are released: 1. Contact sharing needs a complete overhaul. Some apps need to have access to my contacts. I get this. But they only need the name and the phone number. They don’t need addresses, birthdays and additional notes I put in m contacts. Sure, I could have a separate contacts app with "meta…

Interesting that you "personally consider Apple full of shit until..." and then demand _they_ be more granular (It is either full access or no access.) Couldn't you consider Apple partially filled with shit?

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#479

Post by grupthink »

bzzzt wrote: post #444
Nullabillity wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then the sandbox is broken..?

Defense in depth right? First layer: iOS sandbox, second layer: App Store.

How about giving people a choice?

If you like defense in depth: App Store.

If you like freedom of choice: Open Market Store and side-loading.

Re: iOS14 reveals that TikTok may snoop clipboard contents every few keystrokes

#480

Post by xerox13ster »

the_other wrote: post #466
WA wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am certainly happy about the steady pro-privacy process. I personally consider Apple full of shit until two features are released: 1. Contact sharing needs a complete overhaul. Some apps need to have access to my contacts. I get this. But they only need the name and the phone number. They don’t need addresses, birthdays and additional notes I put in m contacts. Sure, I could have a separate contacts app with "meta…

Roughly speaking, current OSs "stop" at tools for interacting with data, and the hardware behind it. In this world where we expect internet access, I'm beginning to think OSs need to manage certain types of data more proactively. I'm trying to wrap a general point around your concerns about contacts. Contacts seem one of the data types that need something approaching OS level tooling. For me, another is "tags". I wan…

That rival was Windows Phone 7.5 through 8.5

They had a People hub that collated all your contacts and had reasonable sharing mechanisms for the data. HERE was essentially that places concept. I'm sure if Windows Phone had kept traction, it would be integrating your smart device health data into live tiles and a hub interface for all the metrics.

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