A
Android Question
Guest
I recently asked someone about data gathering with apps. I don't have any important documents only some phone number s on the phone here, do I need to worry about private data when I download apps?
-
After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
Depends on the app.
Before you install an app look carefully at the permissions and see if they make sense for what it does. For example, a flashlight app should only need access to the camera flash and nothing else but there are plenty of flashlight apps that have really long permission lists because they are accessing data on your device.
Also do a search on the app to see if it has been reported as malware. In any case, when in doubt move on to something else. There are always other apps that do the same thing.
Before you install an app look carefully at the permissions and see if they make sense for what it does. For example, a flashlight app should only need access to the camera flash and nothing else but there are plenty of flashlight apps that have really long permission lists because they are accessing data on your device.
Also do a search on the app to see if it has been reported as malware. In any case, when in doubt move on to something else. There are always other apps that do the same thing.
Will the information be useful to someone interested in identity theft or phishing?
And for contacts it's not just your information: will your contacts be happy with someone collecting their details from you to sell to spammers or scammers?
Personally I take the attitude that I won't use apps that want access to this information when they don't need it for their function.
And for contacts it's not just your information: will your contacts be happy with someone collecting their details from you to sell to spammers or scammers?
Personally I take the attitude that I won't use apps that want access to this information when they don't need it for their function.
svim
Extreme Android User
Hopefully you're not focusing on Android as your security weak point, that just isn't very pragmatic. The various online accounts we are all have are a also a big problem. A Yahoo account, or Apple's iCloud account, or (for all the polygamists here in AF) an Ashley Madison account, or dozens more were all recently hacked or compromised in some way, and all outside any link to Android. Your phone is of course a potential target but it's just one aspect out of many. Always give some thought to what you're doing when you are interacting with any online account/service. Use good passwords, minimize how often you're linking different services to each other, and don't just casually click on some link in a random email message.
I hate random email. I started getting probiotics emails last month and have no idea why. I blocked the "Dr's" emails and that helped a little. My Gmail is a wasteland of spam for my health since my operation.
Do you think the hospital sold me out?
Do you think the hospital sold me out?
svim
Extreme Android User
Gmail's spam filtering is better than average (when compared to the pool of popular, free email services). Are you marking those messages that do get through as spam or just deleting them? If you are just deleting them than the spam filtering cannot adapt itself to your incoming email load.
Odds are the hospital itself didn't actually sell their patients info but some service they rely on is the weak point. Most hospitals don't have their own server farms nor locally host their own web sites. Online services are typically contracted out to various vendors, even when they do employ their own tech support departments.
I just mostly leave them alone. I'm no where near the limit on space on Gmail. It just strikes me as weird that now that the hospital fixed me someone is trying to make me live healthier.