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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

#52

Post by alchemyunited »

Nullabillity wrote: post #44
swiley wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes. But sometimes it's removed or not exposed. For example, my Samsung S5 doesn't support multi user

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

#54

Post by tshtf »

nxzero wrote: post #51

If you have any questions, you can write Uber at privacy@uber.com. -iOS App Permissions https://www.uber.com/legal/other/ios-permissions/ -Android App Permissions https://www.uber.com/legal/other/android-permissions/

Did you read the post? He contacted privacy@uber.com.

Question: http://i.imgur.com/K1mAtiH.png

Scripted reply that didn't answer question: http://i.imgur.com/m9sWJZR.png

Also, as mentioned in the post, https://www.uber.com/legal/other/android-permissions/ doesn't mention the new permissions.

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

#55

Post by JoshTriplett »

sghodas wrote: post #33
readams wrote: post #20

My copy of Uber just updated and it doesn't seem to be requesting any of these permissions. I'm on Marshmallow, and on the permissions page these permissions are not there. Version 3.98.2 of Uber. It's possible that these permissions are used in some obscure place in the app. With the new permissions system, you can progressively request permissions when you need them, so it's possible it will request these at some p…

Not 100% sure, but I think the access to contacts is so that you can split ride fares with other people.

> Not 100% sure, but I think the access to contacts is so that you can split ride fares with other people.

There's a standard intent to select a contact for purposes like that, and then the app only gets access to the information of that contact. Apps requesting access to contacts get all contacts.

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

#56

Post by readams »

jakub_g wrote: post #38
readams wrote: post #20

My copy of Uber just updated and it doesn't seem to be requesting any of these permissions. I'm on Marshmallow, and on the permissions page these permissions are not there. Version 3.98.2 of Uber. It's possible that these permissions are used in some obscure place in the app. With the new permissions system, you can progressively request permissions when you need them, so it's possible it will request these at some p…

When you scroll to the bottom on Uber's play store page it displays this for me: http://m.imgur.com/ndfjQWv They request 'running apps' only from this particular subgroup. Notice the wording on the original screenshot: 'one or more of'. TLDR they don't request browsing history, the Android permissions screen on update is confusing

When I go to that page I see the "retrieve running apps" permission under a category "Other." It would appear that I cannot disable the "Other" category in the app permission configuration.

EDIT: There's another comment in the thread that indicates that this retrieve running apps permission actually doesn't do anything on Lollipop+: it just returns the app's own windows. Which would explain why it was moved to the "Other" category.

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

#57

Post by jagger27 »

matt_wulfeck wrote: post #49
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"...?

I don't even understand why they need local access to figure this out. Poll the web API for last_login and be done with it. Surely they're already tracking and storing this kind of data on their end.

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

#59

Post by jonathankoren »

arca_vorago wrote: post #50
DINKDINK wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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.

It's not a logical argument. It's more of a heuristic of human behavior, which tends to be right. Only rarely is there someone sitting behind a large desk making tent hands while laughing maniacally.

EDIT: On second thought, if it is a logical argument, it's a specific case of Occam's Razor. Which is more likely? Someone made a mistake, or there is a grand conspiracy?

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

#60

Post by hackuser »

sp332 wrote: post #9

My Samsung phone came with the Uber app baked into the ROM. Fortunately I know enough to disable it, but I can't completely uninstall it. And most users will be prompted ad infinitum to update until they give in.

Try an alternative ROM, such as CyanogenMod or OmniROM; they omit all the bloatware.
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