Related
I added a new contact today (time warner) and I noticed that I had options to save the number as company main, car, radio, assistant as well as the usual home, work, etc..
When I go to edit an existing contact these new (to me anyhow) options are not there.
Is there a way to get them there?
I think it may be handy to be able to save company numbers in their own category and I already have quite a few saved as contacts
Looks like it depends on the type of contact that you save it as. Exchange provides all the options. Google has most and the phone even less. Least options is the SIM.
Where are you saving them to?
I just looked and the time warner contact says phone and some others say google. So I guess that explains it.
Thanks
I've seen a few articles about how "stolen" or ripped apps will secretly send SMS to all your friends, the developer and so on about how you're a thief, etc. Now I want to be clear: I'm not looking for a way to get around consequences of stealing paid apps (as a general rule I only use "paid" apps if they are "donation" apps like XDA anyways), or spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt).
What I am interested in is really finding out what my phone might be doing behind my back, who knows, like sending a list of my contacts to my provider, or sending them SMS or some other kind of "ping". Obviously if I download an app like "Homer Simpson Soundboard" and it asks for SMS permissions it doesn't last long on my phone But is there a way I can monitor such behaviour? Are there non-obvious precautions I can take, or apps which might log this stuff?
You're in luck. A dev here at XDA has made LBE Privacy Guard. It'll run in the background checking permissions of other apps. For example if Facebook wants to read your contacts, a pop-up will alert you and ask you if you want to give Facebook the permission to read them, and so on.
Btw, you'll need to be rooted.
LBE!
Another thumbs up for LBE. Locks any app you want from snooping around and phoning the mother ship.
By blocking network access, on apps that really don't need it, it also blocks those annoying ads that are usually at the top or bottom of an app.
Awesome, thanks so much guys!
I finally posted on Motorola's Forums asking about the suspect APK's with as much info as possible.
See HERE
If they for some reason take it down I will duplicate it here below:
Ok,
We Motorola owners have been silent and I think its time that we was not. Just last year I signed up for the Electrify Beta test for Motorola's 2.3.5 update for the phone. I received an email from Motorola that within 24 hours I would be getting the updated pushed to my device. At the time I got the email (around 9:30 am) I was using a custom ROM (Cyanogen Mod 7) and I proceeded to back up my phone and flash the phone back to Stock 2.3.4. Once I did that, I never got the update pushed to my device. So in turn I posted that question why I never received it on the Forums.
Mark answered it by saying this:
“Wow you've reset your phone 21 times... Whatever for? The reason you can't get the update is because you've factory reset the phone after the update was sent out. I'll reply in the other thread concerning the wifi issue. It's off topic here.
Mark
Support Forums Manager”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To which I answered that it was really non of his or Motorola’s business how many times I reset my device as for one – its MINE. I also asked what else Motorola was tracking from my device and why we users are not made aware of it. Of course I never got an answer to that post.
To be honest it was a Godsend that I never got the update, because as we all know Motorola relocked the Bootloader and has every intention of never making it unlocked again. However that’s a different issue and not the one at hand here.
Now I get that that I missed the update to 2.3.5 because I was on a custom ROM that is totally not supported by Motorola, and quite frankly this isn’t the issue here.
The issue is that my activity was tracked. When I got the phone and activated it I was not aware of any EULA that would state that Motorola would be tracking its users and activities. There was no such message in the Box, Manual, or on the phone on first boot. If it IS in the manual then it is so far embedded in some clause that it’s criminal that it is in there. However I am pretty sure its not.
So I would put that down to my activity was tracked WITHOUT my consent. Which to me, is a pretty big deal.
So this brings me to the meat of this post. A few users have stated there are some suspect apps (Motorola Stock) that are running in the background and require some insane Access Rights.. I will now list them along with the permissions they require (You can see these for yourself on your own phone. Applications > All > and find them on the list.). Some of these are quite the eye opener…
AdService.apk
Network Communication (Full Internet Access)
Phone Calls (ReadPhoneStateand identity)
DataCollection.apk
Your personal Information (Read Contact Data, Read Sensitive Log Data, Read user Defined Dictionary, Write Contact Data)
Services that Cost you Money (Directly Call Phone Numbers, Send SMS Messages)
Your Location (coarse (network-based) location, fine (GPS) location, mock location sources for testing)
Your messages (edit SMS or MMS, Read SMS or MMS, Receive SMS)
Network Communication (control Near Field Communication, Create Bluetooth Connections, Full Internet Access)
Your Accounts (manage the accounts list, use the authentication credentials of an account)
Storage (Modify/delete SD card Contents)
Phone Calls (intercept outgoing calls, read phone state and identity)
hardware Controls (change your audio settings)
System Tools (Bluetooth Administration, change network connectivity, change WiFi State, Change WiMAX State, Change your UI Settings, Modify Global System Settings, Mount and unmount file systems, prevent phone from sleeping, reorder running applications, retrieve running applications, write Access Point Name settings, write Sync Settings)
(Hidden)
Default (Modify battery Statistics, Read Certificates)
Your personal Information (write to user defined dictionary)
network Communication (view network state, view Wi-Fi state, view WiMAX state)
Your Accounts (discover known accounts, read Google service configuration, View configured accounts)
hardware Controls (control vibrator)
System Tools (Automatically start at boot, expand/collapse status bar, kill background processes, measure application storage space, read Home settings and shortcuts, read sync settings, read sync statistics, set wallpaper, write Home settings and shortcuts)
DataCollectorProvider.apk
Your Personal Information (read contact data)
DataCollectorService.apk
Your Personal Information (read contact data)
KpiLogger.apk
Your personal Information (Read Contact Data, Read Sensitive Log Data, Read user Defined Dictionary, Write Contact Data)
Services that Cost you Money (Directly Call Phone Numbers, Send SMS Messages)
Your Location (coarse (network-based) location, fine (GPS) location, mock location sources for testing)
Your messages (edit SMS or MMS, Read SMS or MMS, Receive SMS)
Network Communication (control Near Field Communication, Create Bluetooth Connections, Full Internet Access)
Your Accounts (manage the accounts list, use the authentication credentials of an account)
Storage (Modify/delete SD card Contents)
Phone Calls (intercept outgoing calls, read phone state and identity)
hardware Controls (change your audio settings)
System Tools (Bluetooth Administration, change network connectivity, change WiFi State, Change WiMAX State, Change your UI Settings, Modify Global System Settings, Mount and unmount file systems, prevent phone from sleeping, reorder running applications, retrieve running applications, write Access Point Name settings, write Sync Settings)
(Hidden)
Default (Modify battery Statistics, Read Certificates)
Your personal Information (write to user defined dictionary)
network Communication (view network state, view Wi-Fi state, view WiMAX state)
Your Accounts (discover known accounts, read Google service configuration, View configured accounts)
hardware Controls (control vibrator)
System Tools (Automatically start at boot, expand/collapse status bar, kill background processes, measure application storage space, read Home settings and shortcuts, read sync settings, read sync statistics, set wallpaper, write Home settings and shortcuts)
MasterClearErrorReporter.apk
Your personal Information (Read Contact Data, Read Sensitive Log Data, Read user Defined Dictionary, Write Contact Data)
Services that Cost you Money (Directly Call Phone Numbers, Send SMS Messages)
Your Location (coarse (network-based) location, fine (GPS) location, mock location sources for testing)
Your messages (edit SMS or MMS, Read SMS or MMS, Receive SMS)
Network Communication (control Near Field Communication, Create Bluetooth Connections, Full Internet Access)
Your Accounts (manage the accounts list, use the authentication credentials of an account)
Storage (Modify/delete SD card Contents)
Phone Calls (intercept outgoing calls, read phone state and identity)
hardware Controls (change your audio settings)
System Tools (Bluetooth Administration, change network connectivity, change WiFi State, Change WiMAX State, Change your UI Settings, Modify Global System Settings, Mount and unmount file systems, prevent phone from sleeping, reorder running applications, retrieve running applications, write Access Point Name settings, write Sync Settings)
(Hidden)
Default (Modify battery Statistics, Read Certificates)
Your personal Information (write to user defined dictionary)
network Communication (view network state, view Wi-Fi state, view WiMAX state)
Your Accounts (discover known accounts, read Google service configuration, View configured accounts)
hardware Controls (control vibrator)
System Tools (Automatically start at boot, expand/collapse status bar, kill background processes, measure application storage space, read Home settings and shortcuts, read sync settings, read sync statistics, set wallpaper, write Home settings and shortcuts)
So, to paraphrase Mark….
Wow these Apps need some insane permissions…. WHATEVER FOR??
And aren’t they named well?
I suggest that someone provides FULL DISCLOSURE on what all these apps do. They are NOT required to run the device (if you are rooted you can freeze the processes with no ill effects and can infact remove them) and they most certainly are NOT part of Android’s original OS.. So whatever ARE they for and what ARE they collecting???
So Motorola, the ball is in your court so to speak, I and a great many others would be really curious on telling us what they are for…
Your move..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a thought on this issue also. maybe a reason you could provide to this **** from Motorola is the fact that these phones have problems out of the box. Random reboots for example. That in itself would be reason enough for me to reset my phone in homes it will go away. Another thing you could point out is that some app developers are using Airpush ads that some people might think are a form of trojan and might also to a reset to try to eliminate them. Bottom line though is you are totally correct and that it's none of their damn business what we do with these phones. Sprint can ***** at us and threaten to void warranties or whatever but Moto has nothing to do with it. I'm curious to know what they respond with. I'm going to post in that forum too
It's funny. Those were the first apps that I had frozen. I have NO problem with my phone since I froze those. It's been about 2 months now and no problems.
My post on that forum rules LOL
Even if they do respond I'll be willing to bet you don't get a straight answer that exposes the truth.
On a side note, are the apps you have listed everything that does the questionable snooping or are there more parts to the puzzle?
I'm a MoPho-er
FernBch said:
Even if they do respond I'll be willing to bet you don't get a straight answer that exposes the truth.
On a side note, are the apps you have listed everything that does the questionable snooping or are there more parts to the puzzle?
I'm a MoPho-er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I knew how to debug and show what those apps did, I would have more "clout" I guess..
I'm sure there's more in there, but those are obvious (and poorly named) with what they do.
I'm not expecting an answer either, but just sitting idly by saying nothing doesn't achieve anything either. It was worth a shot, and if more people post a response in the original thread, then well... its gonna make it harder for them to ignore it as well.
He posted a reply... Usual PR Snuff and tried to make it look like I was the bad one for breaking an NDA on software that was publicly released two months ago..
I think not, so I replied in kind.... Funny how it took a posting of APK's permissions and concerns about privacy (which was brought up before) for him to garner any response on it...
Lets see if this can carry on...
mistaken, your privacy is important and must be protected, in Europe there are strict legislative on this point, and I hope that clarifies why if the European community discovers that unbeknownst to many users, are read everything that trigger sanctions. I also do not want others to know of my sites visited, etc..
sorry for my English
ZeroManArmy said:
It's funny. Those were the first apps that I had frozen. I have NO problem with my phone since I froze those. It's been about 2 months now and no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the four has something to do with corp. mail now get an error message. Option to FC every thing working though.
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
Cythrawl,
Honestly, if I would have known that the Electrify would have been like this, I would have stuck with the Hero S. sometimes...I regret switching from the Hero S to the Electrify.
IBMguy said:
Cythrawl,
Honestly, if I would have known that the Electrify would have been like this, I would have stuck with the Hero S. sometimes...I regret switching from the Hero S to the Electrify.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I had have known too, I would have stuck with the Mesmerize until we get the SGII
Love it when people have no idea!
"We Motorola owners have been silent and I think its time that we was not."
"If I knew how to debug and show what those apps did, I would have more "clout" I guess.. "
I would not worry about Moto, the govenment is watching you right now through your tv.
halfdriven said:
Love it when people have no idea!
"We Motorola owners have been silent and I think its time that we was not."
"If I knew how to debug and show what those apps did, I would have more "clout" I guess.. "
I would not worry about Moto, the govenment is watching you right now through your tv.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seeing I don't have TV (or a TV connected to Cable / Sat / OTA) I doubt that...
Thankyou for your really useful post...
Could anyone out there tell me if the S Note that you got with the ICS update - NOT downloaded from S Choice, or from the file that I saw floating around the forum, just the ones that came with ICS automatically - matches the following permissions?
- Your personal information
add or modify calendar events and send email to guests without owner's knowledge, read Browser's history and bookmarks, read calendar events plus confidential information, read contact data, read user defined dictionary, write Browser’s history and bookmarks, write contact data
- Services that cost you money
directly call phone numbers, send SMS messages
- Your location
coarse (network-based) location, fine (GPS) location
- Your messages
edit SMS or MMS, read SMS or MMS, receive SMS or MMS
- Network communication
control NFC, create Bluetooth connections, full internet access
- Your accounts
acts an account authenticator, manage the accounts list, use the authentication credentials of an account
- Storage
modify/delete USE storage contents
- Hardware controls
change your audio settings, record audio, take pictures and videos
- System Tools
allow Wi-Fi Multicast reception, bluetooth administration, change network connectivity, change WIF state, change WIMAX state, change your UI settings, delete all application cache data, disable keylock, format external storage, modify global system settings, mount and unmount filesystems, prevent phone from sleeping, retrieve running applications, write sync settings.
Why I want to know, if you're interested:
I didn't get S Note with my ICS update (SGH-i717R - Canadian, Rogers), and after a song and dance with support, was told by one agent/one email support to download it from the S Choice app store ... and by one call agent that I should stay away from it because it's not from Samsung and possibly malware.. Since S Note was supposed to come with the update, and only My Story needed additional downloading, I was a little wary.
My misgivings started with the bad grammar in the description, the different developer from the My Story app, and finally, the giant pile of permissions it wants. I've tried a slew of things to get S Note/Premium Suite to initialize, and am now at either reflashing the update, which I'd like to avoid since the phone works fine and I don't know what the hell I'm doing, or mailing it in “to the lab,” which I'd like to avoid because apparently not all of Samsung knows what it's doing either, judging by some of the answers I got. So I'd like to just do a comparison to see if the original S Note that comes with ICS also has these permissions. If it does, then I'm just going with the S Choice one and stop trying other things.
Thank you for any help!
Anyone? I know it's a bit of an oddball question, but..? (Unless nobody got it with ICS, which wouldn't surprise me, either.)
Matches what i have... I dont think its anything bad. Samsung proabably wants snote to have full functionality. Insert contacts and be able to call them from the app, geo tag your location etc... Look at the permissions of facebook... They are not that different.
Sent from my Samsung-I717
IMM76D.UCLF6+FJMOD-BUILD2
Stampaufaz said:
Matches what i have... I dont think its anything bad. Samsung proabably wants snote to have full functionality. Insert contacts and be able to call them from the app, geo tag your location etc... Look at the permissions of facebook... They are not that different.
Sent from my Samsung-I717
IMM76D.UCLF6+FJMOD-BUILD2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fantastic - thanks! I was mostly put off by the description of the app "this application is S note can make own note." doesn't exactly scream "I am legit software put out by Samsung, download me!" But if it's pretty much what the original has, then I'm fine.
Again, thanks!
Was going to download and try this app from the Google store but have issues with privacy concerns:
This app has access to these permissions:
Your accounts
read Google service configuration
find accounts on the device
use accounts on the device
Your location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
Your messages
read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
receive text messages (SMS)
access mail information
Network communication
full network access
view network connections
view Wi-Fi connections
Your personal information
read calendar events plus confidential information
Phone calls
directly call phone numbers
read phone status and identity
Storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Your applications information
retrieve running apps
Your social information
read your contacts
read call log
System tools
read Home settings and shortcuts
write Home settings and shortcuts
test access to protected storage
Affects battery
control vibration
Status bar
expand/collapse status bar
Wallpaper
set wallpaper
adjust your wallpaper size
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does this app need to access so much of my personal information?
Yearoftherat said:
Was going to download and try this app from the Google store but have issues with privacy concerns:
Why does this app need to access so much of my personal information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
As you know, Themer helps increase the user experience by providing valuable information straight onto your homescreen.
This includes:
1. Displaying how many unread emails/SMS/missed calls you have. (Your messages
read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
receive text messages (SMS)
access mail information))
2. Displaying your map coordinates on a map image. (Your location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based))
3. A built-in dialer app that can display your recent contact as well as allow you to call a number directly from your homescreen. (Phone calls
directly call phone numbers
read phone status and identity) (Your social information
read your contacts
read call log)
4. Display agenda information. (Your personal information
read calendar events plus confidential information)
As you can see, it's all for display purposes. If you look at other widgets on the Play Store that perform the same activities, they will also require these permissions. It just so happens that Themer has all of these features built into one app. Hope this helps clarify the matter.
Thanks for the clarification. Looking forward to trying out the app!
I have the same concerns, beginning with the need to login before using any themes. (The explanation given in the faq seems too lame for me). Looks like a terrific app but possibly not for those who worry about privacy. I'm personally too scared to try it.
One option to explore is using this app with xprivacy installed which allows one to restrict unneeded permissions. Maybe a firewall might help?
Anderson2 said:
I have the same concerns, beginning with the need to login before using any themes. (The explanation given in the faq seems too lame for me). Looks like a terrific app but possibly not for those who worry about privacy. I'm personally too scared to try it.
One option to explore is using this app with xprivacy installed which allows one to restrict unneeded permissions. Maybe a firewall might help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Anderson2,
That FAQ actually sums it up quite well. The login feature creates a security barrier for us, which even though is not the most advanced way of preventing intrusions into our theming servers, it does a good job in finding people who are trying to tamper with our systems. That and of course sending users email updates of new features if they request it.
When exactly do you need login? Just to download themes? After the download can one log out? I don't like the idea that you have access to my emails, texts, and any files your widgets access. That is what concerns me.
I don't know enough about themer because I'm afraid to use it, but I believe your zooper widget doesn't require login. (Does it?) Can you explain how they differ in the need for protection?
I have to say that I share those concerns. Why do you force users to login with their Google or Facebook accounts? I do not understand why this should be a better securitry barrier than the login data from mycolorscreen.com? I would not even give away my login data to someone I know, so why should I give away this data to someone I do not know at all???
Well said.
+1
shibadoo said:
I have to say that I share those concerns. Why do you force users to login with their Google or Facebook accounts? I do not understand why this should be a better securitry barrier than the login data from mycolorscreen.com? I would not even give away my login data to someone I know, so why should I give away this data to someone I do not know at all???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yet you log in to this forum and use it.
The explanations have been given. It's to ensure you are who you say you are when you access their servers to download the themes.
As for all the other access, Themer provides a lot of different information as explained (you DID read what he posted, correct?) GPS position, weather, etc. All of this is based on location, etc, as well as if you want unread email counts, etc. It's all there in Themer given you everything all rolled into one app, rather than having to download each piece separately. If you don't like it, don't use it. Thousands upon thousands of users are using it without any issues. I definitely like to protect my privacy, but this app is the least of your worries about privacy.
There are many other problems that could result if they didn't want you to verify who you say you are. Do you want someone to hack their servers and then you download a hacked theme that could result in even more privacy issues for you?
In the end, if you don't want to use it, don't. Nobody is forcing you to use it and they have every right to protect their investments as well. There are plenty of other apps out there you can use that can provide the same type of experience. Usually, the themes are not housed in a server so you can download them from elsewhere, but unless you're getting them from Google Play, then who is to say how safe those are? Many 3rd-party app stores are NOT the safest as they do not follow Google's security policy. At least with Themer, it's in the Google Play market and has had to go through Google's scrutiny.
A few weeks ago, the app was erroneously flagged as something that could steal your information. Google came back later and stated it was an error on their part and verified that the app is safe and it will not steal your information.
I've used it for months and nothing bad has happened to me.
There are many other ways for hackers to get your PI and this is the least of your worries.
vulcanvillalta said:
As an American, and therefore afraid of everything, I personally vote to not give out so much information. But on the other hand, IF someone wanted to get all of your information, they could probably do it without your consent. I would probably stay away from it, though. Just to "try" to be safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once Facebook introduces its anonymous login feature, our developers will implement the feature into Themer
iBolski said:
Yet you log in to this forum and use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I do use this forum, but of course I do not log in with my Google account. There would be no reason to do so - same goes for Themer. I would have no problem if Themer would ask for my login data from mycolorscreen.
iBolski said:
The explanations have been given. It's to ensure you are who you say you are when you access their servers to download the themes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You think you know who I am because I enter some data that nobody ever controls? I could simply enter some Google account data I created only for Themer. But honestly, this is too much effort for me only the check if I like an app.
iBolski said:
As for all the other access, Themer provides a lot of different information as explained (you DID read what he posted, correct?) GPS position, weather, etc. All of this is based on location, etc, as well as if you want unread email counts, etc. It's all there in Themer given you everything all rolled into one app, rather than having to download each piece separately. If you don't like it, don't use it. Thousands upon thousands of users are using it without any issues. I definitely like to protect my privacy, but this app is the least of your worries about privacy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly has GPS and weather to do with my Google Account data? I do not share GPS data with Google, so I would not with Themer as well. And for a weather forecast I would simply type in 5 numbers - my zip code. This is exactly what I do right now.
iBolski said:
There are many other problems that could result if they didn't want you to verify who you say you are. Do you want someone to hack their servers and then you download a hacked theme that could result in even more privacy issues for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And because the people at Themer have may account data, nobody can hack their servers? So the solution to all hacked servers worldwide is so simple? Just giving them Google account data?
iBolski said:
In the end, if you don't want to use it, don't. Nobody is forcing you to use it and they have every right to protect their investments as well. There are plenty of other apps out there you can use that can provide the same type of experience. Usually, the themes are not housed in a server so you can download them from elsewhere, but unless you're getting them from Google Play, then who is to say how safe those are? Many 3rd-party app stores are NOT the safest as they do not follow Google's security policy. At least with Themer, it's in the Google Play market and has had to go through Google's scrutiny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I do not use it. This is the consequence.
iBolski said:
There are many other ways for hackers to get your PI and this is the least of your worries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what should be my worries if it is not giving away voluntarily my Google account data to someone I do not know???
And you forgot something: I know at least 5 people that use their Android phones without a Google account, and they also do not use Facebook. Believe it or not: these people do really exist, and they even survive without a Google and a Facebook account.
So for me there is no credible information why the people at themer need my Google account data, and why this should protect them from being hacked. Or why my Google Account data should be safer than my mycolorscreen account data. This is why I will not use themer and would not recommend it to others.
shibadoo said:
Yes, I do use this forum, but of course I do not log in with my Google account. There would be no reason to do so - same goes for Themer. I would have no problem if Themer would ask for my login data from mycolorscreen.
You think you know who I am because I enter some data that nobody ever controls? I could simply enter some Google account data I created only for Themer. But honestly, this is too much effort for me only the check if I like an app.
What exactly has GPS and weather to do with my Google Account data? I do not share GPS data with Google, so I would not with Themer as well. And for a weather forecast I would simply type in 5 numbers - my zip code. This is exactly what I do right now.
And because the people at Themer have may account data, nobody can hack their servers? So the solution to all hacked servers worldwide is so simple? Just giving them Google account data?
Yes, I do not use it. This is the consequence.
So what should be my worries if it is not giving away voluntarily my Google account data to someone I do not know???
And you forgot something: I know at least 5 people that use their Android phones without a Google account, and they also do not use Facebook. Believe it or not: these people do really exist, and they even survive without a Google and a Facebook account.
So for me there is no credible information why the people at themer need my Google account data, and why this should protect them from being hacked. Or why my Google Account data should be safer than my mycolorscreen account data. This is why I will not use themer and would not recommend it to others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You describe me exactly. I don't use my Google account to login anywhere, don't use Facebook, have phone GPS and location turned off, only enter zip code for weather, turn off sync everywhere, use a firewall, xprivacy, etc. - - and Google only thinks it has my info.
Everyone I know who is not a teenager or addicted to Facebook does the same.
vulcanvillalta said:
If you use fake names etc and are vague about your location, no, google doesnt have your name. But what about your IP address. They can tell that your pseudonym is performing functions from the specific location you are in. You might not GIVE them your name or address, but with the IP address linking you to a specific internet connection, they certainly can figure out who you are and where you are, if they want to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is why I don't want to help other sites identify me by giving them my Google login. Not everyone has Google capabilities.
The points made in defense of keeping your personal information private (and not using your Google login for Themer) are valid and understood.
However, Themer is not designed for that type of mindset.
Themer is designed for the overall market - the vast majority if you will - not for privacy advocates.
It's simply a tool that allows the general Android user base (the FB'ers, Google +'ers, i.e. Socialites) to easily login to an app designed to make their phones look cool. Most of the functionality of the Themes are far more invasive than your Google login anyway (GPS coordinates, access to text/email notifications, call logs, etc) so I really don't see the point of wildly waving your arms around saying "privacy breach! privacy breach!"
Don't use it. Cool. I'm OK with that. I'm sure they are too. But why complain about it? What is the goal? Surely you cannot think they will redesign the app for you.
So really, you're just posting on XDA to aggravate the devs. I mean, what launcher doesn't have access to all of your info? It's like complaining that a specific model of car has a license plate that can be used to identify you. Guess what? All cars do. Take the bus bro
Anderson2 said:
Which is why I don't want to help other sites identify me by giving them my Google login. Not everyone has Google capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But your phone can still identify you. You are still logged into the internet via your carrier's internet and they can definitely get who you are on the phone.
You might as well just stay off the internet completely then.
And, if you're going to stay off the internet, then why have a smart phone? You're already identified out there through your carrier. If they breach your carrier account, they have all sorts of information right then and there, more so than Google would have. Think about it. Your billing address, etc.
Don't think for a minute that your carrier is completely safe. Even Verizon has had breaches.
vulcanvillalta said:
Like I said above, IF PEOPLE WANT YOUR INFORMATION, THEY CAN GET IT. There are nasty identity thieves out there that can find all of your information SOOOO easily. So easily. So whether or not you use an app or make a phonecall or whatever, you can still be traced and you can still be monitored and your information can still be acquired. I'm not trying to be a downer, but you can either accept that you are at the mercy of whoever wants to stalk you, or you can spend the rest of your life worrying and trying to protect yourself from something you literally have no control of.
IMHO, if you can use the app and it would benefit you, you might as well enjoy it.
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Not sure why you quoted me bro, I'm on the same page you are.
IT need to display some information about your phone