Couldn't have said it better. +1
> Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 07:40:08 -0700 > From: Brian Friday <brian.fri...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [LinuxUsers] Before you buy an Android Phone > To: SoCal LUG Users List <linuxusers@socallinux.org> > Message-ID: <9e275c25-d743-42b8-b8d7-ecfc28bab...@gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > > > As far as the permission to tap into the location of the phone or using your > internet service your talking about fairly core needs of apps. It seems > rather silly to complain that your twitter app is opening up internet > connections. At the very least the selected sections of the article you have > linked are more geared to causing fear, uncertainty and doubt then they are > to a healthy discussion seen in the article itself. > > You are also cropping up against the difference between curated (iOS) and > uncurated app stores and the apps they "sell" (be it free or for a cost). > Apple for the iOS platform attempts to verify an App is doing what it says it > is doing and accessing data that it should, giving you the opportunity to > accept or reject requests for information access (contacts, location etc). > Apps that do not do what they say they do are rejected from the store, apps > that use api's that they shouldn't also rejected and if it uses data that it > shouldn't those are rejected as well (lots of documentation on this > available). > > The Android store has very minimal protections of this type thus the > "uncurated" title given to their store. If I was going to give any > recommendation for anyone running an Android phone it would be be very > careful of the app you download because it can be allowed access to any data > on your phone. The same warning you would give anyone using a computer in the > wild. What has been less clear is if the app is required to actually tell you > what data it is accessing or if it can bury that "agreement/notice" in a > terms of service that you won't read allowing you to agree to things you > would not normally. > > -Brian > > On Jul 1, 2010, at 3:55 AM, Chris Penn wrote: > >> "SMobile analyzed metadata from almost 49,000 Android Market apps -- >> roughly 68 percent of all the apps available for download from the >> online store. >> >> More than 34,600 apps analyzed tried to get permission to open network >> sockets by tapping the "Internet" service, SMobile found. >> >> Another 12,000 apps analyzed requested permission to tap data from the >> "Access_Coarse_Location" service. This lets an app access the user's >> cellphone ID or WiFi location." >> >> Ref: >> http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/products/70278.html?wlc=1277981251 >> >> I wonder how this compares to the IPhone. >> >> I cannot say for sure because I do not own an Android phone but my >> guess is that these apps are not (GPLv) Open Source. >> >> Chris... >> >> >> >> -- >> "As we open our newspapers or watch our television screens, we seem to >> be continually assaulted by the fruits of Mankind's stupidity." >> -Roger Penrose >> _______________________________________________ >> LinuxUsers mailing list >> LinuxUsers@socallinux.org >> http://socallinux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linuxusers > _______________________________________________ LinuxUsers mailing list LinuxUsers@socallinux.org http://socallinux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linuxusers
