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Insane App Permissions - Why is noone concerned?

A

AirCatHeavy

Well-Known Member
Looking at some of the FREE apps available in Google Play, some of the apps go WAY too far in demanding permissions.

Why do people so freely accept all of it without question?

Am I the problem? Is it paranoia? What stops the Chinese developer from having all that personal info you've granted them free and clear access to from doing just that? You may ask...well what can the Chinese possibly do with it? Well, sell it for one. Use it to track your personal life (for whatever reason...I know....you think you're so important right?)

But seriously, is it safe to open up all those permissions just to get access to a free app?
Some are understandable but others seem to go too far. I just don't install the apps but because so many people do without question...it makes it easier and easier for developers to harvest your information so it has a net and cumulative negative effect on others.

Here's one....look at all the permissions you have to grant. And this is for a PRIVACY application LOL !!
Does this look legit? The developer is Chinese (in China)

This app has access to:
Device & app history
  • read sensitive log data
Cellular data settings
  • change/intercept network settings and traffic
Identity
  • find accounts on the device
Contacts
  • find accounts on the device
  • read your contacts
  • modify your contacts
SMS
  • read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
  • receive text messages (MMS)
  • receive text messages (SMS)
  • send SMS messages
  • edit your text messages (SMS or MMS)
Phone
  • directly call phone numbers
  • reroute outgoing calls
  • read call log
  • read phone status and identity
  • write call log
Photos/Media/Files
  • read the contents of your USB storage
  • modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Storage
  • read the contents of your USB storage
  • modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Camera
  • take pictures and videos
Device ID & call information
  • read phone status and identity
Other
  • view network connections
  • change network connectivity
  • full network access
  • run at startup
  • control vibration
  • prevent device from sleeping
  • Google Play license check
 
No way. I do carefully look at what permissions the app is requesting. I wouldn't accept the shed load of permissions that 'privacy' app is requesting. Completely unacceptable.
 
Well depending on what the privacy app does, those permissions make sense. Especially if they are hiding activities you are doing.... That being said I would never install an app like that, there is no limit to what a compromised or malicious app could do with those permissions. I always review permissions prior to installing/updating any apps.
 
lol. I'm glad to see not everyone is a dunderhead like those who ignore all the warning signs in the name of instant gratification :cool:

I seriously doubt China allows it's subjects to download and install apps with permissions ANYTHING like Americas do with Chinese apps.
 
Wait until they start requesting custody of your firstborn child. I think they'll call that the Rumpelstiltskin clause... and some will be foolish enough to sign it over.
 
Privacy, my A$$.

Only privacy they want is a private link to your personal info.


I love the permissions settings Android has now.
 
AirCatHeavy said:
lol. I'm glad to see not everyone is a dunderhead like those who ignore all the warning signs in the name of instant gratification :cool:

I seriously doubt China allows it's subjects to download and install apps with permissions ANYTHING like Americas do with Chinese apps.
Click to expand...
You reckon? From Mike's descriptions many Chinese phones come with a mountain of intrusive bloatware already baked in.
 
What I can't understand is, the technology and know how is readily available to detect this crap. Why does law allow this? Why aren't these Chinese firms forced to stop the BS?
 
The other problem is distinguishing legitimate from not automatically. A backup app, for example, might require exactly the same data access that an illicit data harvester would. Easy to spot if it describes itself as a flashlight, but just from the app itself it's less so. So ultimately it's a matter of how much effort Google are going to put into checking. Remember that you need to check every update of every app, which if you put humans into the loop adds up.
 
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