Hidden “App Ops” Feature in Android 4.3 Lets You Disable Permissions From Apps • Hacker News Board

Re: Hidden “App Ops” Feature in Android 4.3 Lets You Disable Permissions From Apps

#61

Post by derleth » Sat, Jul 27, 2013, 8:38 AM UTC

SEMW wrote: post #43

derleth wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Too bad CyanogenMod itself phones home to tell the developers about you.

Of all the privacy intrusions you're subjected to, are you seriously making an issue out of optional, transparent, anonymized hardware reports, in a Free Software project, used to compile publicly available statistics[1] on what phones people use the software so the devs can better direct development effort? Really? [1] http://stats.cyanogenmod.org

I mentioned it because it's shocking that a Free Software project would be so disrespectful of user privacy.

Oh, and it isn't opt-in. It's opt-out, until the developer changes his mind again:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/04/03/cyanogenmod-will-no-...

Re: Hidden “App Ops” Feature in Android 4.3 Lets You Disable Permissions From Apps

#62

Post by derleth » Sat, Jul 27, 2013, 8:40 AM UTC

yareally wrote: post #24

derleth wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Too bad CyanogenMod itself phones home to tell the developers about you.

Only if you opt into it. It's an option under settings. They also tell you what they're sending. If you're truly paranoid, just block Google Analytics in your host file. That's all they're using.

No, it's opt-out, unless the developer's changed his mind:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/04/03/cyanogenmod-will-no-...

And, if he does change his mind, it's more likely to be to remove the opt-out feature.

People don't expect Free Software to phone home like common malware. It's shocking. That's why I mentioned it.

Re: Hidden “App Ops” Feature in Android 4.3 Lets You Disable Permissions From Apps

#63

Post by vetinari » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 10:13 PM UTC

wlesieutre wrote: post #53

vetinari wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The app does not have to crash. It can gracefully exit. Which, in the end, has the same result - if the user does not grant the permission, the app will refuse to work.

I admittedly don't download much of the App Store's free crapware, but I've never once seen this happen. Do you have an examples of apps that refuse to run when you don't allow a unnecessary permission?

Sorry for late reply. For example, Any.do Cal will exit, if you do not grant access to addressbook.

I do not download crapware either, but I don't have much trust into bizdevs trying to monetize anything. This is the first solution that I would expect.