Seems like Google/Android Smartphones are like SPY phones

Your ignorance and lack of technical knowledge are both reasons you are frustrating me. It's like you expect all technology to work through magic or something. Fact is, there are myraids of technical reasons that you probably won't understand that explain your concerns.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Please explain why Facebook needs to access all my emails to function

Because FB 'private messages' are sent as an email service. So in order to integrate your FB PM's into your phone, the FB PM needs to be converted and sent so Android can recognize it as 'a message'...the easiest way for FB to accomplish this is to send it as....drumroll....AN EMAIL!!! Woa.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Please explain why Facebook needs to access all my call records to function

It needs permission to write your FB friends into your phone and mark them as online or offline in your call log.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Please explain why Facebook needs to access my personal text messages (SMS) to function

Again, much like the email service being needed, the SMS service is needed to connect the FB app with MMS picture sharing, and other functions that allow their app features to work.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Please explain why Facebook needs to access all my personal contacts to function

Because when you sync your FB with your phone, it inputs your FB friends into your contacts so you can just look up a friends contact listing and send a FB PM right from your contact list.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

One should not need to sync their whole personal address book on their phone in order to use Facebook. Do you need to sync your contacts from Microsoft Outlook on your computer in order to use Facebook on a laptop or desktop If you use a Mac, do you need to sync all your contacts from Apple's Contacts if you use Apple's OS in order to go to Facebook online

Again, your lack technical knowledge is amazing. A-You don't HAVE to use the FB app...log in through your phones browser if you are so concerned. B-Outlook DOES sync with FB if you give it permission...JUST LIKE YOU GAVE THE FB APP PERMISSION WHEN YOU HIT THE 'ACCEPT AND INSTALL' BUTTON when you installed the FB app on your phone. It's not REQUIRED to use FB....BUT NEITHER IS THE FB APP ITSELF. As I said, you can easily log on using your phone browser.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

I know that it specifically tells you what you are getting into, the discussion and debate here is whether or not these applications really need to access all these things on your smartphone just to function and why they don't give you the option to opt out. On the Google Dashboard you can log in and change settings to supposedly opt out of certain things. The option to opt out did not exist until people complained and if people do not complain we will never have the option to choose to opt out of what we don't want on our smartphones.

Wrong. Google integrated the the dashboard options after a DEVELOPER that DOESN'T work for GOOGLE (he is a freelance XDA member) figured out how to achieve this...(woo hoo open source!!!)...which was LONG before the security issues you are talking about showed up. Also worth noting, the dashboard options are only available on 2.3.3 and up...so if you are using a phone with any version of android LESS than 2.3.3, you STILL don't have those dashboard options.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

So is the senator a fool as well for asking the FTC to investigate

http://9to5mac.com/2012/03/04/senato...-capabilities/


In his letter, Schumer (D-NY) asked the FTC “to investigate a disturbing and potentially unfair practice in the smartphone application market,” referring to New York Times reports saying apps on the smartphones can access the data without the owner’s knowledge.

From the link..


“When someone takes a private photo, on a private cell phone, it should remain just that: private,” Schumer said. “It sends shivers up the spine to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who-knows-what-else can be obtained and even posted online – without consent.”

Schumer is just as technically blind as you are. We have beaten this to death...and I am amazed you still don't get it. You GAVE your apps permission to do what they do when you click that 'Accept and Install' button. That is the PURPOSE of the button in the first place. Schumer, being the techno-moron that he is, is making a huge stink out of something that the PEOPLE he is supposedly PROTECTING have GIVEN THEIR CONSENT to happen. This is not trickery or shady at all. iOS and Android very specifically ask if it's OK for the system to do certain things and YOU SAID YES....therefor, YOU are responsible for the outcome of your data.

What you are saying is that you really don't see how GIVING PERMISSION to do something and then crying about it happening are conflicted? That sounds like a hypocrite to me...

Originally Posted by MeanM50

Your ignorance and lack of technical knowledge are both reasons you are frustrating me. It's like you expect all technology to work through magic or something. Fact is, there are myraids of technical reasons that you probably won't understand that explain your concerns.



Because FB 'private messages' are sent as an email service. So in order to integrate your FB PM's into your phone, the FB PM needs to be converted and sent so Android can recognize it as 'a message'...the easiest way for FB to accomplish this is to send it as....drumroll....AN EMAIL!!! Woa.



It needs permission to write your FB friends into your phone and mark them as online or offline in your call log.



Again, much like the email service being needed, the SMS service is needed to connect the FB app with MMS picture sharing, and other functions that allow their app features to work.



Because when you sync your FB with your phone, it inputs your FB friends into your contacts so you can just look up a friends contact listing and send a FB PM right from your contact list.



Again, your lack technical knowledge is amazing. A-You don't HAVE to use the FB app...log in through your phones browser if you are so concerned. B-Outlook DOES sync with FB if you give it permission...JUST LIKE YOU GAVE THE FB APP PERMISSION WHEN YOU HIT THE 'ACCEPT AND INSTALL' BUTTON when you installed the FB app on your phone. It's not REQUIRED to use FB....BUT NEITHER IS THE FB APP ITSELF. As I said, you can easily log on using your phone browser.



Wrong. Google integrated the the dashboard options after a DEVELOPER that DOESN'T work for GOOGLE (he is a freelance XDA member) figured out how to achieve this...(woo hoo open source!!!)...which was LONG before the security issues you are talking about showed up. Also worth noting, the dashboard options are only available on 2.3.3 and up...so if you are using a phone with any version of android LESS than 2.3.3, you STILL don't have those dashboard options.



Schumer is just as technically blind as you are. We have beaten this to death...and I am amazed you still don't get it. You GAVE your apps permission to do what they do when you click that 'Accept and Install' button. That is the PURPOSE of the button in the first place. Schumer, being the techno-moron that he is, is making a huge stink out of something that the PEOPLE he is supposedly PROTECTING have GIVEN THEIR CONSENT to happen. This is not trickery or shady at all. iOS and Android very specifically ask if it's OK for the system to do certain things and YOU SAID YES....therefor, YOU are responsible for the outcome of your data.

What you are saying is that you really don't see how GIVING PERMISSION to do something and then crying about it happening are conflicted? That sounds like a hypocrite to me...

Where did you see that I said I had given FB permission and hit the accept and install button What I am saying is that users should have the option to opt out. I did see the Permissions and am bringing these permissions to light as to whether the end user should have the option to opt out of such permissions. I did not say it happened to me and am not crying about it either. You are saying that I along with Schumer basically accepted and are both crying about it now which is not what I am saying nor what Schumer is saying.

As simple and dumb as I can say it: DON'T USE THE ****ING APP!

There...problem solved. For anyone that read and comprehended this thread, you CAN modify your permissions and 'opt out' of certain app functions...both in dashboard AND via android apps...however this circumvents the purpose of the app in the first place: to integrate itself to your phone...so then you have to ask yourself...'why in the hell am I using the app if I am stripping it of it's functions?'...which then brings the question...why are you worried? Create a URL shortcut in your favorite launcher and BOOM FB in one click...because that is all you want right? One click access to FB?

I guess my main question is, whats your point? What do you hope happens about this? If people viewed it as you and senator ********* do, there would be absolutely no functionality in owning a smart phone at all. If your rebuttle to this is: "No, we should just get the right to op out" as you keep parroting...then educate yourself...read a few blogs about what troubles you and learn how to fix it. Learn how to protect yourself instead of waiting for someone else to protect you. That is the problem with everything these days. People are lazy and unwilling to learn. They just want everyone else to make it a cakewalk for them instead of taking things into their own hands, showing some responsibility (for their data in this case) and coming out on top.

"Quick to bitch, but not to pitch..."

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

http://www.techspot.com/news/47641-a...hotos-too.html

Well, it turns out iOS is not alone -- at least on one of these cases. According to a follow up investigation by The New York Times, by design Android apps do not need permission to get a user's photos, and as long as an app has the right to go to the Internet, it can copy those photos to a remote server without asking.

To demonstrate the loophole, Ralph Gootee, an Android developer and chief technology officer of software company Loupe, put together a test application that's supposed to be a simple timer. Upon installation the app asks for permision to access the Internet, but says nothing about photos. Then, when the app is launched and a timer is set, it goes into the photo library and posts the most recent image onto a public photo-sharing site.



Thank you German courts

http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/f...vacy-breaches/

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

http://www.techspot.com/news/47641-a...hotos-too.html

Well, it turns out iOS is not alone -- at least on one of these cases. According to a follow up investigation by The New York Times, by design Android apps do not need permission to get a user's photos, and as long as an app has the right to go to the Internet, it can copy those photos to a remote server without asking.

To demonstrate the loophole, Ralph Gootee, an Android developer and chief technology officer of software company Loupe, put together a test application that's supposed to be a simple timer. Upon installation the app asks for permision to access the Internet, but says nothing about photos. Then, when the app is launched and a timer is set, it goes into the photo library and posts the most recent image onto a public photo-sharing site.



Thank you German courts

http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/08/f...vacy-breaches/

His 'demo' app wouldn't ever be uploaded to the market. Bouncer would have rejected it and possibly suspended his dev account. Google Bouncer went into action a full month before the article you linked was written...

I'm not saying that all apps are going to be safe. NO app (regardless of platform) is free from devious or malicious possibilities.

I guess what I really don't understand is why everyone is so up in arms about PHONES when the same and WORSE technology and applications exist for home computers. No computer is safe.

Originally Posted by MeanM50

His 'demo' app wouldn't ever be uploaded to the market. Bouncer would have rejected it and possibly suspended his dev account. Google Bouncer went into action a full month before the article you linked was written...

I'm not saying that all apps are going to be safe. NO app (regardless of platform) is free from devious or malicious possibilities.

I guess what I really don't understand is why everyone is so up in arms about PHONES when the same and WORSE technology and applications exist for home computers. No computer is safe.

I'll explain my $.02 part. Imagine if you had to give Bimmerfest permission to read/write all your contacts,Notes,Read/write all your emails and read/write all your pictures from your computer if you wanted to surf their website

On the computer we can go to Yahoo mail just to check our email without needing to allow Yahoo to be able to download all out pictures from our computer,all our notes,all our contacts and all our other private stuff. This is not just for Yahoo but many other websites as well.

if you go to Facebook online, does Facebook have the right to download all your personal pictures from your computer? Does Facebook have the right to read/write all your personal contact (meaning download) all your personal contacts from say Microsoft Outlook from your computer? Does Facebook have the right to download all your emails from all your accounts online? Does Facebook have the right to download all your telephone numbers? Does Facebook have the right to download all your personal photos?

If you bought a game for your PC to play a game on your PC just like if you downloaded a game via application, should that game that you installed on your computer also have the right to read/write all your personal info and be able to upload all that to their server This is basically what applications are doing and not what they are doing on our computers. I find it wrong.. My $.02..

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

I'll explain my $.02 part. Imagine if you had to give Bimmerfest permission to read/write all your contacts,Notes,Read/write all your emails and read/write all your pictures from your computer if you wanted to surf their website

On the computer we can go to Yahoo mail just to check our email without needing to allow Yahoo to be able to download all out pictures from our computer,all our notes,all our contacts and all our other private stuff. This is not just for Yahoo but many other websites as well.

if you go to Facebook online, does Facebook have the right to download all your personal pictures from your computer? Does Facebook have the right to read/write all your personal contact (meaning download) all your personal contacts from say Microsoft Outlook from your computer? Does Facebook have the right to download all your emails from all your accounts online? Does Facebook have the right to download all your telephone numbers? Does Facebook have the right to download all your personal photos?

If you bought a game for your PC to play a game on your PC just like if you downloaded a game via application, should that game that you installed on your computer also have the right to read/write all your personal info and be able to upload all that to their server This is basically what applications are doing and not what they are doing on our computers. I find it wrong.. My $.02..

Yes to all of the above if either of these things are true:

1-You gave your permission for XXX program/website via 'accept and install' type of TOS

2-XXX program/website NEEDS the info to integrate and offer features that people want to use.


What I was getting at speaking about a home computer was that at any given time there are literally MILLIONS of malware/malicious programs that take things (WAY worse than stupid duckface photos and thousands of phone numbers on your phone) off your home computer...and unlike FB or Google, they aren't using it to offer neat features...they are draining bank accounts and ruining credit. Yet everyone is up FB/Google's/Apples ass about THIS stuff. I don't understand it.

Fact is, if people would go take a community college class or read a damn book and learn how to protect themselves and their data, and learn some digital responsibility...EVERYONE would be better off...and not just in terms of security. Knowledge...look into it.

Originally Posted by MeanM50

Yes to all of the above if either of these things are true:

1-You gave your permission for XXX program/website via 'accept and install' type of TOS

2-XXX program/website NEEDS the info to integrate and offer features that people want to use.

As far as a program needing to integrate in order for their features to work is fine but one should have the option to manually add contacts to that application rather then pretty much syncing all personal info. Also (as an example), Whatsapp does not need to read all your call logs and personal sms messages from your own smartphone text messages in order for their own text messages to be able to function.

You make it sound like someone complaining after someone gave permission for all these things. The debate here is not about someone complaining after someone has given permission but about having the option to opt out of these things and about why these permissions are now being requested where these permissions are not requested on our notebook and desktop computers. Should every website or game that we wish to access on our computer also be able to download all our private stuff like emails,email accounts,passwords,pictures,contacts,telephone numbers etc.. just like what is now being requested in the Smartphone applications Imagine that every time you go to a website a website requests permission to access all your personal stuff First thing that would hit your mind is you hit a website infected with Malware or a virus of some sort.

What I was getting at speaking about a home computer was that at any given time there are literally MILLIONS of malware/malicious programs that take things (WAY worse than stupid duckface photos and thousands of phone numbers on your phone) off your home computer...and unlike FB or Google, they aren't using it to offer neat features...they are draining bank accounts and ruining credit. Yet everyone is up FB/Google's/Apples ass about THIS stuff. I don't understand it.

The above is true but I am not talking about Malware as Malware is available on both home computers and Smartphone OS as well. What I am talking about is would you approve of the same permissions being requested on your personal computer just to play a game or go to particular website

Fact is, if people would go take a community college class or read a damn book and learn how to protect themselves and their data, and learn some digital responsibility...EVERYONE would be better off...and not just in terms of security. Knowledge...look into it.

I agree with your last part to a certain degree. If people just keep quiet then no one develops other applications without these permissions and requests. The fact that people voice their opinions and thoughts is good because it motivates others to develop other applications that don't request such permissions.

As another example, Bimmerfest has an application as well. How would you like it if it made requests to download all your personal photos,contacts,sms messages,notes,call logs,etc.. just so you can use that application to view Bimmerfest posts or post on Bimmerfest To my knowledge this is not required online but should it be a requirement for their application on our smartphones

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

I agree with your last part to a certain degree. If people just keep quiet then no one develops other applications without these permissions and requests. The fact that people voice their opinions and thoughts is good because it motivates others to develop other applications that don't request such permissions.

As another example, Bimmerfest has an application as well. How would you like it if it made requests to download all your personal photos,contacts,sms messages,notes,call logs,etc.. just so you can use that application to view Bimmerfest posts or post on Bimmerfest To my knowledge this is not required online but should it be a requirement for their application on our smartphones

Me personally, I wouldn't care. There is nothing I have to hide and there is nothing in my phone that isn't already publicly available...so no...it wouldn't bother ME.

You mentioned that FB should give you the chance to only sync certain contacts...which makes me believe that you think they load ALL your contacts and just hang onto them. This is not the case and FB doesn't do that. The issue is that FB (or other apps) COULD do that. Making a big stink about the permission without understanding what it's used for or what it ACTUALLY reads/writes/stores is just silly. There are many other security holes in the digital world that worry my more than FB having access to my contact list.

I was recently in HK and bought a new Rolex watch at La Fayette. In my contacts I added the name La Fayette and a telephone number only. Today on my Facebook a sign pops up and says people you might know showing La Fayette. I never put in an address or hit the sync button but Facebook knows which shop I was at along with the address. Basically even though you never approved or authorized a sync between Facebook and contacts to take place on the Android device it pretty much did collect all your contact info which in this case was just a name and telephone number. With this alone their spyware was able to do the rest.

Creepy, but congrats on your new watch. I've just started collecting.

Originally Posted by johnc_22

Creepy, but congrats on your new watch. I've just started collecting.

Which watch did you get? I'm not collecting. 1 or 2 nice ones and I'm happy. Here is a picture of mine.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Which watch did you get? I'm not collecting. 1 or 2 nice ones and I'm happy. Here is a picture of mine.

I had to have a Speedmaster Pro Moonwatch. This is several times over the nicest watch I own.

Originally Posted by johnc_22

I had to have a Speedmaster Pro Moonwatch. This is several times over the nicest watch I own.

Attachment 316559

Nice I also have an Omega (will upload that picture another time as I am not wearing that one now. Like this new Rolex more for the time being. )

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

I was recently in HK and bought a new Rolex watch at La Fayette. In my contacts I added the name La Fayette and a telephone number only. Today on my Facebook a sign pops up and says people you might know showing La Fayette. I never put in an address or hit the sync button but Facebook knows which shop I was at along with the address. Basically even though you never approved or authorized a sync between Facebook and contacts to take place on the Android device it pretty much did collect all your contact info which in this case was just a name and telephone number. With this alone their spyware was able to do the rest.

...and you STILL don't understand how it works.

The 'don't sync' button is specific to CONTACTS. Read your own god damn screen shot...very clearly it says 'Don't sync...use info about FRIENDS only in Facebook.' The FB app didn't use any FRIEND info to determine that you would be interested in La Fayette...it used your other GOOGLE services that your phone is signed into. Adsense (a GOOGLE product) is what drives the ads on the sidebar of facebook...so, FB is NOT where you need to be making settings changes.

If you want to remain completely anonymous, you need to go to google dashboard and disable it's 'search history customizer'...it is on by default on all Google accounts...the search history customizer is responsible for your recent experience in HK...NOT an app, or android service. A GOOGLE ACCOUNT service...again...need for alarm in OTHER areas (such as PC's...)...but NOTHING to do with an app on your phone...just some silly assumption that since that AD was inside an APP, the APP must be responsible right? Wrong. Misedumacation prevails ITT AGAIN.

PS-Prior to google making a phone, what would you have thought if you logged into FB on your home computer and saw La Fayette on your FB then???? You would probably dismiss it knowing that there is practically no way they are spying on you. Years later, they put this service on a phone and everyone freaks the hell out because they don't understand how it works or what it does or what information is needed for it to function...(there is a whole 3 page thread about it over at bimm.....oh wait....) and assume since they didn't read or educate themselves about the super awesome abilities that their phone has...that it's malicious.

Again...they DO make phones without all the features you complain about...I am still confused as to why you even have a smart phone Pat...you clearly don't want it to be SMART...

Oh yeah...PPS---La Fayette only has ONE LOCATION IN HK....so address and location information are irrelevant. I could have read your palm and told you WHICH LA FAYETTE location you were at as well.

Originally Posted by MeanM50

...and you STILL don't understand how it works.

The 'don't sync' button is specific to CONTACTS. Read your own god damn screen shot...very clearly it says 'Don't sync...use info about FRIENDS only in Facebook.' The FB app didn't use any FRIEND info to determine that you would be interested in La Fayette...it used your other GOOGLE services that your phone is signed into. Adsense (a GOOGLE product) is what drives the ads on the sidebar of facebook...so, FB is NOT where you need to be making settings changes.

If you want to remain completely anonymous, you need to go to google dashboard and disable it's 'search history customizer'...it is on by default on all Google accounts...the search history customizer is responsible for your recent experience in HK...NOT an app, or android service. A GOOGLE ACCOUNT service...again...need for alarm in OTHER areas (such as PC's...)...but NOTHING to do with an app on your phone...just some silly assumption that since that AD was inside an APP, the APP must be responsible right? Wrong. Misedumacation prevails ITT AGAIN.

PS-Prior to google making a phone, what would you have thought if you logged into FB on your home computer and saw La Fayette on your FB then???? You would probably dismiss it knowing that there is practically no way they are spying on you. Years later, they put this service on a phone and everyone freaks the hell out because they don't understand how it works or what it does or what information is needed for it to function...(there is a whole 3 page thread about it over at bimm.....oh wait....) and assume since they didn't read or educate themselves about the super awesome abilities that their phone has...that it's malicious.

Again...they DO make phones without all the features you complain about...I am still confused as to why you even have a smart phone Pat...you clearly don't want it to be SMART...

Oh yeah...PPS---La Fayette only has ONE LOCATION IN HK....so address and location information are irrelevant. I could have read your palm and told you WHICH LA FAYETTE location you were at as well.

Search history has been disabled for a very long time on Google dashboard and I check it often to follow up as well. If I had done a search for La Fayette or a check-in for La-fayette then maybe I could see popping up but this was not the case as this was not done. This is also not an advert adsense thing as this is a contact that basically was obviously stolen by facebook from my contact list.

You seem to mistake smart features being available to the end user with how they should work Just because you have a smartphone or choose to use a particular application does not mean that you wish to share all your private stuff with the web. Currently Bimmerfest permissions do not require permission to read/write contacts from your smartphone,read/write photos from your smrtphone (mind you that you can upload photos using the Bimmerfest application that you can download but just because the application allows you to upload a photo does not mean it should have access to read/write all your photos in your smartphone ),Bimmerfest also does not request to read/write SMS messages and call log data as well. Neither a smartphone or application has to be an invasion of privacy or does it have to act as spyware to function properly.

Read here..

http://www.gizmocrazed.com/2012/02/m...-apps-exposed/


Facebook uploads your contacts from your address book and also stores them, but it also warns the users about it as they may use the stored contacts to suggest friends to you or others.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Search history has been disabled for a very long time on Google dashboard and I check it often to follow up as well. If I had done a search for La Fayette or a check-in for La-fayette then maybe I could see popping up but this was not the case as this was not done. This is also not an advert adsense thing as this is a contact that basically was obviously stolen by facebook from my contact list.

So what you are telling me is that La Fayette is in your phone's contact list, but you have never searched for their number on any device that was also logged into your google account? I find this hard to believe.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

You seem to mistake smart features being available to the end user with how they should work Just because you have a smartphone or choose to use a particular application does not mean that you wish to share all your private stuff with the web.

A FB user (again for example) complaining about privacy is a down right laughable scenario. But to address it specifically: If you are not happy with an app that very clearly states WHAT it does and stores and takes...and YOU agree to their TOS...then you have no room to say a ****ing word about your precious data. Period. End of story. This is what I have been saying for three pages. The available 'opt out' process is DON'T USE THE APP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

Currently Bimmerfest permissions do not require permission to read/write contacts from your smartphone,read/write photos from your smrtphone

As they shouldn't. They don't offer ANY features that would require this kind of communication.

Further information for you about the bimmerapp...

Originally Posted by Google Play RE: BimmerApp Permissions

THIS APPLICATION HAS ACCESS TO THE FOLLOWING:
NETWORK COMMUNICATION
FULL INTERNET ACCESS
Allows an application to create network sockets.

PHONE CALLS
READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY
Allows the application to access the phone features of the device. An application with this permission can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone, whether a call is active, the number that call is connected to and the like.

STORAGE
MODIFY/DELETE USB STORAGE CONTENTS MODIFY/DELETE SD CARD CONTENTS
Allows an application to write to the USB storage. Allows an application to write to the SD card.

SYSTEM TOOLS
PREVENT DEVICE FROM SLEEPING
Allows an application to prevent the device from going to sleep.Bimmerfest also does not request to read/write SMS messages and call log data as well. Neither a smartphone or application has to be an invasion of privacy or does it have to act as spyware to function properly.

Why does the 'fest need to know who we call and 'the like'...??????? Hmmm...I am not comfortable with them knowing who and when I call someone. I better cry like a little bitch and raise hell with my local senator!!!! Bimmerfest is STEALING MY CALL LOG!!!!!

Do you see how ridiculous it COULD become if whistle blowers everywhere start crying about Android permissions? The Bimmerfest app (while perfectly harmless in every way) would be subject to security scrutiny and probably be pulled off Google Play if all the whiney little girls in the world got their way. Which is EXACTLY why you must make educated decisions about your data and pick your battles...abolishing androids capabilities completely will have MAJOR consequences for everyone...when instead, Senator Asscock D,NY could STOP making blind assumptions that because an app has ACCESS to something doesn't mean it's MALICIOUS. Otherwise I would have to assume that bimmerfest's app is malicious and yadda...yadda...yadda...are you getting it yet?

Originally Posted by MeanM50

So what you are telling me is that La Fayette is in your phone's contact list, but you have never searched for their number on any device that was also logged into your google account? I find this hard to believe.



A FB user (again for example) complaining about privacy is a down right laughable scenario. But to address it specifically: If you are not happy with an app that very clearly states WHAT it does and stores and takes...and YOU agree to their TOS...then you have no room to say a ****ing word about your precious data. Period. End of story. This is what I have been saying for three pages. The available 'opt out' process is DON'T USE THE APP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



As they shouldn't. They don't offer ANY features that would require this kind of communication.

Further information for you about the bimmerapp...



Why does the 'fest need to know who we call and 'the like'...??????? Hmmm...I am not comfortable with them knowing who and when I call someone. I better cry like a little bitch and raise hell with my local senator!!!! Bimmerfest is STEALING MY CALL LOG!!!!!

Do you see how ridiculous it COULD become if whistle blowers everywhere start crying about Android permissions? The Bimmerfest app (while perfectly harmless in every way) would be subject to security scrutiny and probably be pulled off Google Play if all the whiney little girls in the world got their way. Which is EXACTLY why you must make educated decisions about your data and pick your battles...abolishing androids capabilities completely will have MAJOR consequences for everyone...when instead, Senator Asscock D,NY could STOP making blind assumptions that because an app has ACCESS to something doesn't mean it's MALICIOUS. Otherwise I would have to assume that bimmerfest's app is malicious and yadda...yadda...yadda...are you getting it yet?

I'm not going to bother with the rest with you

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

I'm not going to bother with the rest with you

The rest of me? You didn't even complete 'one of me'...

You see my point now and don't want to admit it?

Originally Posted by MeanM50

The rest of me? You didn't even complete 'one of me'...

You see my point now and don't want to admit it?

The other way around my friend You can just ignore this thread as this is my last response to you.

3 years ago I stayed at a hotel in Tokyo. That hotel is both in my iPhone contact list and in my Android smartphone list. Today on Facebook the Hotel name pops up as someone I may know and want to add. 4-5 days ago I looked up this contact in my iPhone to give to my cousin as he is going to Japan next week and asked me if I knew of a place to stay at in Tokyo and today on Facebook it asks me if I want add this hotel to my list of friends.

They are definitely spying on users and stealing info. This is from Today's news under Google Finance this morning. Now they have evidence of spying on iPhone users but I don't think it is just iPhone users as the way one can add contacts on Android based phones are all set up in the same way. Some how Facebook and Google work together on this one.

http://www.valuewalk.com/2012/03/goo...any-practices/

Taken a while to accomplish but I guess after all these complaints and a few lawsuits they finally budged which is With Google one does not have the option to opt out yet and for those who have not noticed on the new ICS 4.0 by default everything gets sent to Google to supposedly be backed up

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/14/...data-in-ios-6/

Still bitching??? Jesus tap dancing Christ!

Are you telling me that this screen isn't descriptive enough for you???


At the bottom of that screen, there is an 'ok' button and a 'cancel' button. How is this so difficult for you to grasp? Apple comes up with a little toast window that says one little question...and you are happy, but Android shows EVERY SINGLE ****ING DETAIL on once screen for you to ok...and you bitch...

Have fun in the digital future.

As I had said before about Google and their privacy permissions. If Google cared about this they would not allow this but they do it themselves and then pretty much allow developers of applications do so because they make them share their info with Google so it is then the applications doing this and not Google.

http://asia.cnet.com/whatsapp-may-ha...s-62220289.htm

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/28/w...-privacy-laws/

Why do you have issues with smartphones? Doesn't the name speaks for itself?