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I've been testing the system for a few days and the Apps section is leaving me a bit puzzled. When I search for one that interests me, I look at the first ones on the list and I realize that when I install them, they ask for permission to access things that don't make sense.
For example, I've been looking for a file manager. The first one I found asked for permission to access the network and the phone book: why does a file manager need to access the network? Probably for advertising, but that already smells bad. But the phone book? It makes no sense. And that's on a tablet, but that already makes me suspicious.
Then I started looking for viewers for office documents and one of them asked for permission to access the phone book and to access and modify my calendar, being able to create events related to my contacts without my permission. Are we crazy or what?
For a Linux and free software user like me, these things are quite shocking. Sometimes it will be paranoia, but other times the concern is well-founded.
In any case, it seems that Android users don't care about all this and manage to put real trojans at the top of the ranking: applications that if they had their counterpart on Windows, would make the antivirus jump warning of malicious software.
The worst part is that when you consult the list of "The 10 best apps for...", many of the recommendations give you goosebumps when you read the permissions they ask for.
So I'm going to make a list with all those applications that, from my point of view, don't smell bad. And I encourage you to participate with both free and paid apps.
Remote management
ConnectBot. Requirements: Modify or delete the contents of your SD card. Full network access. Test access to protected storage. View network connections. Control vibration
Remote Transmission. Requirements: Modify or delete the contents of your SD card. Full network access. Test access to protected storage. Google Play billing service, view network connections.
File managers
OI File Manager. Requirements: Install shortcuts. Modify or delete the contents of your SD card. Test access to protected storage.
System tools
System Monitor Lite. Requirements: Modify or delete the contents of your SD card. Test access to protected storage. Run at startup.
Games
Traffic Racer. Requirements: Modify or delete the contents of your SD card. Full network access. Test access to protected storage. View Wifi connections, view network connections. Prevent the tablet from going to sleep.
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Mis cacharros -
Hehe, yes... computer security is non-existent, but it's usually not that obvious. Most likely it has an explanation, the browser allows you to access servers from there the network access, the list to know equally also allows you to explore contacts. But think that on the other hand in linux you don't know what you're giving permission to when you install an application, it could access anything if you install it as admin... that's why I say that within the bad, that there is no security, whoever wants to access something maliciously won't put it in plain sight.
And you'll see that apps access many times to unusual things to improve the experience, for example. a music player can access your calls simply to mute itself automatically. You'll also find very transparent apps that explain what they use each permission for and others that do whatever they want.
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In Linux (and Windows) the issue is very different since each program does its own thing. Basically, it's not normal for programs to access centralized information. In the case of KDE, there may be personal data that some programs can access (very few because they have to be based on the KDE framework) and there is also very strict control over this. In Windows, I suppose something similar will happen with services that suck from Windows Live! although I don't know.
On the other hand, free software is somehow audited by external developers, which minimizes the chances of them doing something wrong.
One basic thing I miss in Android regarding security/privacy is the ability to block information to applications. That is, if such an application wants to be able to modify my calendar and involve my contacts in it, it shouldn't be able to do so. If the application loses functionality, that's my problem.
The truth is that it's giving me quite a lot of trouble to enter personal information and especially usernames and passwords everywhere.
I would like to be able to have control over the flow of personal information, files, passwords... and seeing that I don't have it (when I don't see any technical drawbacks), I don't like it at all.
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Mis cacharros -
You have a feature that I think was native in Android at some point and now it's not, but you have it as an app. It's called AppOps and it allows you (I think with root) the control that you mention.
You can see what permissions each app has and restrict them if you want, considering that it may not work correctly or directly stop working (for example, there are applications that if they detect that they cannot receive external advertising because there is some kind of "blocker" of the calls directly they close), but it's up to you.
There are others that compile the application limiting the services you have marked, but they have given me many problems. This one gives me the feeling that it works as a kind of internal proxy that layers the calls to services that you have decided to restrict.
I am testing it with some applications and so far it's going well.
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AppOps doesn't appear in the app store which means that for some reason, it's not compatible with my tablet. I found another version called AppOps - David App that does let me install it but when I run it, it gives me an error.
I think this whole thing can only be done with the rooted terminal.
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Mis cacharros -
It should work fine with Android 4.3 or 4.4/4.4.1. If you have 4.4.2 Google has totally capped it and I'm afraid you will need root to use it in that case.https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colortiger.appopsinstaller
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In my case it is Android 4.2 and it doesn't even appear in the Google Play.
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Mis cacharros -
What phone do you have?
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Mis cacharros -
Well he's more annoyed. I haven't seen anything about upgrading to 4.3 on that tablet.
On xdadev there's a thread where they've extracted the app's apk, but it would need root and I doubt it would work anyway, because it's very likely to invoke new kernel calls from 4.3, although I haven't googled this.
What might work for you is one of the apps I mentioned that rebuild the app's apk by patching the services, but I'm afraid they need root too.
Sorry.
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Today I discovered this alternative market. In it there are only free software applications.
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Mis cacharros -
Pretty good fdroid, from there I download adaway and autostarts.
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I think that from F. Droid you can also contact the developers of the apps to make suggestions and even collaborate with them to improve the apps in a more active way than from Google Play.
In any case, and as a general rule, you have to be especially careful with alternative markets.
But since the origin of the thread is the result of having read the permissions of the apps carefully (as a good Linux user) you will not have any problems.Tapatalk for ZX Spectrum
