Google removes privacy feature from Android mobile software

[hazelnut]

 

(Reuters) - Google Inc has removed an experimental privacy feature from its Android mobile software that had allowed users to block apps from collecting personal information such as address book data and a user's location.

The change means that owners of smartphones using Android 4.4.2, the latest version of the world's most popular operating system for mobile devices released this week, must provide access to their personal data in order to use certain apps.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/13/us-google-android-idUSBRE9BC0YO20131213

 

Coming so soon after the trumpeted alliance of 8 big companies (of which Google was one) to call for change in surveillance practices as they say they undermine freedom of people, and yet seem to be doing the same thing themselves.

 

May go back to just using two empty tin cans joined by a piece of string instead

[Winapp2.ini]

Editorialized. It was not a privacy feature. App Ops was never meant to be user-facing. It actually never even was user facing, you had to use an app or a system tweak to make it visible.

 

You can still access App Ops X or XPrivacy if you are rooted and use xposed respectively.

 

Many users think that Google should polish AppOps and push it out to general use but the caveat is that most users don't understand what they're doing, and they're going to wonder why Google Maps isn't working once they've accidentally revoked its locations permission.

[hazelnut]

When it comes down to basics a phone is a method of communication. In my view it has been turned into an info/privacy grabbing machine.

 

Yes Google can say it needs funds to provide this wonder of communication but it should not be at the expense of my private details. It is bad enough that they read all my mail to offer targeted ads.

[Winapp2.ini]

The permissions system is a lot like Windows' User Account Control - no one really reads them. That's why so many people were surprised that a flashlight app that was collecting their location info for no obvious reason was selling that information.

[login123]

But our governments are not going to lie down and play dead. 

From the linked article:  "In November Google agreed to pay a $17 million fine . . ."  

That'll show'em. 

Counting cash on hand, google's worth has dwindled to about $286 billion.

On October 18th this year, Larry Page And Sergey Brin made about $5.9 Billion.

 

Thats not the issue of course, privacy is. 

Google, apple, facebook, et. al. rely on users' ignorance, as Winapp pointed out above.

Most of the folks I know are just not much concerned, or are willing to give up privacy in order use trendy apps.