Cell Phone Permissions, What the ?.?.?.?

Thread Starter

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
Hello,

Anyone read up on the 'permissions' given to applications (apps) on a typical Android cell phone?
The lack of privacy is astonishing to say the least. The apps can access almost everything on the phone and even make phone calls from your phone. What the heck is that all about?
An app can even access your contacts and call them.
It's nuts.
I found out when i went to use YouTube on my phone for the first time. It would not let me use YouTube it would try to force me to 'accept' the new terms which meant YouTube could have access to contacts and everything else it wanted to in the name of 'advanced features'. It's mostly Google doing this as they are the ones that wanted to upgrade YouTube and would not allow the old version to run (that came with the phone).

Any ideas what can be done about this nuts? I cant use YouTube without allowing all kinds of nutty permissions like those.
 

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
621
I have been sounding the alarm bells for years on Tracebook, (Twit)ter and Google. I Don't use the first two but am forced to use the third if I want to find something online. They all know Who you are, where you are, where you work, who your standing close to, your friends, your kids, their friends, where you go and so forth. Your cell phone also accesses apps that store passwords and other details of your financial world. They know everything about you!
Wonder "WHY" the government don't stop it ???
Guess "WHO" they're giving the information too !!!
Brzrkr
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
I have been sounding the alarm bells for years on Tracebook, (Twit)ter and Google. I Don't use the first two but am forced to use the third if I want to find something online. They all know Who you are, where you are, where you work, who your standing close to, your friends, your kids, their friends, where you go and so forth. Your cell phone also accesses apps that store passwords and other details of your financial world. They know everything about you!
Wonder "WHY" the government don't stop it ???
Guess "WHO" they're giving the information too !!!
Brzrkr
I use duckduck go for searching. But it is so annoying when it does not autofill your query for you ;)

Privacy is a dead dream. It is painfully obvious whonthese companies work with as monipolies have been broken up before and nothing is being done about Google or Facebook, the two entities that control the vety flow of information...

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/phone-privacy/
 
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killivolt

Joined Jan 10, 2010
835
Get a tablet and use your phone as a hot spot. Tablet may give you the same trouble maybe? I don't know. I use Mac for that reason.

kv
 

Thread Starter

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
I have been sounding the alarm bells for years on Tracebook, (Twit)ter and Google. I Don't use the first two but am forced to use the third if I want to find something online. They all know Who you are, where you are, where you work, who your standing close to, your friends, your kids, their friends, where you go and so forth. Your cell phone also accesses apps that store passwords and other details of your financial world. They know everything about you!
Wonder "WHY" the government don't stop it ???
Guess "WHO" they're giving the information too !!!
Brzrkr
Interesting view. It's just so crazy that they are allowed to see my contact list. That's going too far. I dont care WHAT they are using it for, that is just wrong.
I will pose this question to all here:
Does this happen with the iPhone too?
Thanks.
 

Thread Starter

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
I use duckduck go for searching. But it is so annoying when it does not autofill your query for you ;)

Privacy is a dead dream. It is painfully obvious whonthese companies work with as monipolies have been broken up before and nothing is being done about Google or Facebook, the two entities that control the vety flow of information...

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/phone-privacy/
Yeah maybe that's it now. Big Brother in reality.
I will pose this question to all here:
Does this happen with the iPhone too?
 

Thread Starter

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
Get a tablet and use your phone as a hot spot. Tablet may give you the same trouble maybe? I don't know. I use Mac for that reason.

kv
Hi,

What is a hot spot?
I will pose this question to all here:
Does this happen with the iPhone too?

Now i have seen though that it no longer matters if i let YouTube installation proceed, because the Google Apps ALL have the ability to see my contacts and everything else too already, also they can make calls, redirect calls, etc. They suck plain and simple.
 

Thread Starter

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
I just realized something.
If they are doing that with the cell phones and getting away with it, then they are doing that with land lines and everything else too.

The big question is, are they doing this in the name of terrorism?
If so there is some justification.
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
Hi,

What is a hot spot?
I will pose this question to all here:
Does this happen with the iPhone too?

Now i have seen though that it no longer matters if i let YouTube installation proceed, because the Google Apps ALL have the ability to see my contacts and everything else too already, also they can make calls, redirect calls, etc. They suck plain and simple.
To give you my opinion - apple claims to protect your privacy better, but they do the same thing. I honestly prefer my android as I know it is not secure at all and I treat it as such. I would prefer a dumb phone, but I cannot get one where I live
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
"In theory" you have a right to review any personal data kept by an entity so you can correct errors.*

In practice, that is not so easy. I am dealing with eBay right now. The saga began August 1, 2019 when I submitted a request. Of course responses are slow. The response was a brief, "check your member information." To which I replied, "Sure, if you will guarantee that is all the information you have on me." Of course, that was a no go. Much dialog later, I completed a form. I was then told that I had to present a copy of my photo driver's license (or other acceptable photo ID) and a utility bill to prove my address.

I countered with the query that there is information on those required documents you supposedly do not have, like my photo. How will that help ID me? Another response said, "well it will" and listed what I could black out. I complied pretty much, but blacked out any additional information that was not on my member page, including my photo. The next response was , "Requests are handled in the order received, it may take 30 days or more." Thirty days from when?

Still waiting...

* Apparently you do not have the right to access the information per se. So you need to add that you want to correct errors.
 

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
621
@jpanhalt
So in other words they wanted more information to give you information ?

I'll tell you all again and you might want to listen!
When the world finds out what all they have been collecting and who they're sharing it with, you'll be pissed first and then they will see a mass exodus from their services and law suits galore will ensue, Don't be fooled by these companies and remember you gave them permission to use it when you clicked "I accept the terms of agreement" !

When we should have said no to a "FREE" service and told them no we'll pay for it and you can't collect my information.

Why what they're doing isn't considered identity theft is beyond me.
Brzrkr
 
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killivolt

Joined Jan 10, 2010
835
Hi,

What is a hot spot?
I will pose this question to all here:
Does this happen with the iPhone too?

Now i have seen though that it no longer matters if i let YouTube installation proceed, because the Google Apps ALL have the ability to see my contacts and everything else too already, also they can make calls, redirect calls, etc. They suck plain and simple.
A Hotspot is just a data connection between your phone and a tablet. If the tablet doesn't use apps, but rather pre-loaded browsers may not cause the Data to be accessed contacts etc.


kv

Edit: If you can do that then I would delete the apps from you phone at that point.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
I just realized something.
If they are doing that with the cell phones and getting away with it, then they are doing that with land lines and everything else too.

The big question is, are they doing this in the name of terrorism?
If so there is some justification.
They are doing it primarily because it is physically possible for them to do it. That's part of the mantra of "Big Data": Collect every scrap of information you can vacuum up because someone, someday, might find a way to mine it and since you can't mine data you don't have....

While it doesn't make me feel much better, the vast majority of the data sucked up will never get used -- probably less than 1% of it will. But certainly the potential to do things I object to will all of that data is real and I don't like them collecting it (but they didn't ask my opinion when they decided to collect it). So the best I can do is limit the opportunities for them to collect it. My smartphone has exactly two apps that I've installed and I examined their settings pretty closely (which doesn't mean that I didn't miss something) and I've tried to lock down the phone as much as possible. I don't do any form of social media (beyond AAC and two other forums). There are other things I could (and should) do, but they involve information that's been out there so long there isn't much point in trying to scrub it (but, still, I really should).
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
They are doing it primarily because it is physically possible for them to do it. That's part of the mantra of "Big Data": Collect every scrap of information you can vacuum up because someone, someday, might find a way to mine it and since you can't mine data you don't have....

While it doesn't make me feel much better, the vast majority of the data sucked up will never get used -- probably less than 1% of it will. But certainly the potential to do things I object to will all of that data is real and I don't like them collecting it (but they didn't ask my opinion when they decided to collect it). So the best I can do is limit the opportunities for them to collect it. My smartphone has exactly two apps that I've installed and I examined their settings pretty closely (which doesn't mean that I didn't miss something) and I've tried to lock down the phone as much as possible. I don't do any form of social media (beyond AAC and two other forums). There are other things I could (and should) do, but they involve information that's been out there so long there isn't much point in trying to scrub it (but, still, I really should).
The question I find interesting is the following - will those who are imbedded with this technology even care if they are shown how intrusive it is? Is it possible to step away from all these apps and smart phones to reclaim our private identities back or is our "global" society done for to be a source of data to be packaged for no apparent reason as we become progressively more and more disconnected from ourselves and each other?
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
The question I find interesting is the following - will those who are imbedded with this technology even care if they are shown how intrusive it is? Is it possible to step away from all these apps and smart phones to reclaim our private identities back or is our "global" society done for to be a source of data to be packaged for no apparent reason as we become progressively more and more disconnected from ourselves and each other?
The vast majority of people simply don't care. There are now places that will explicitly ask for a bunch of your personal information in exchange for a free cup of coffee and people line up because they believe it just doesn't matter and think they are getting something for nothing.

Then there is the overwhelming majority of people who are simply naive and will install anything as long as they perceive any utility in it at all. Sadly, even people that should (and do) know better fall into this category all the time (and I suspect that pretty much ALL of us -- most definitely myself included -- have fallen prey from time to time).
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
It's not really new. "They" have been doing this ever since you had a mailing address, birth certificate, driver's license, Marriage license, any records at the courthouse, on and on ad infinitum. It's just easier now that it is all accessible by computers. Our company received a weekly update from the County Sheriff of any employee arrested sent to the personnel director for example. By computerizing data the scanning, sorting and compiling of it by computers merely speeds up the process. Although I really don't like being bombarded by ads because I looked something up on the computer...
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
The vast majority of people simply don't care. There are now places that will explicitly ask for a bunch of your personal information in exchange for a free cup of coffee and people line up because they believe it just doesn't matter and think they are getting something for nothing.

Then there is the overwhelming majority of people who are simply naive and will install anything as long as they perceive any utility in it at all. Sadly, even people that should (and do) know better fall into this category all the time (and I suspect that pretty much ALL of us -- most definitely myself included -- have fallen prey from time to time).
Hi William,

There is lot of people that installed little amount of free software but published / posted personal data describing their family, daily activity even the house where they live. The actual difference with telling all those pieces of information in any social meeting or posting in the Web is that the last is way too much more easily to collect and destined to last being available forever (?).

Maybe I am wrong, but, as long all the data about myself does not afects my safety I give a dime on what anyone knows about me. My real secrets are those that I never told to anyone and are writen nowhere in the world.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Hi William,

There is lot of people that installed little amount of free software but published / posted personal data describing their family, daily activity even the house where they live. The actual difference with telling all those pieces of information in any social meeting or posting in the Web is that the last is way too much more easily to collect and destined to last being available forever (?).

Maybe I am wrong, but, as long all the data about myself does not afects my safety I give a dime on what anyone knows about me. My real secrets are those that I never told to anyone and are writen nowhere in the world.
Frankly, I cannot imagine people who willingly share every minute, every photo, and every argument in their families. Some things are just private, and I don't need advice from a bunch of anonymous people about whether I should stop beating my wife/puppy/children... ;)
 
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Thread Starter

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
Frankly, I cannot imagine people who willingly share every minute, every photo, and every argument in their families. Some things are just private, and I don't need advice from a but of anonymous people about whether I should stop beating my wife/puppy/children... ;)
Hi,

yes that is the way i feel too. They should not have access to ANYTHING let alone even know who my friends are and what their phone number is, mobile phone number that is, which is not otherwise available if i am right (maybe not but i thought that was protected).
I'll ask everyone the same question: Could there be a class action lawsuit in this?
 
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