"Boron Elgar" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 24 Mar 2015 14:45:25 -0000, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>"Boron Elgar" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> On Tue, 24 Mar 2015 12:40:33 -0000, "Ophelia"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
>>>>> On 3/24/2015 8:00 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Boron Elgar" > wrote
>>>>>
>>>>>>> OH - that Ellen app? This is what it tracks and has access to....
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In-app purchases
>>>>>>> Identity
>>>>>>> find accounts on the device
>>>>>>> Photos/Media/Files
>>>>>>> modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
>>>>>>> read the contents of your USB storage
>>>>>>> Camera
>>>>>>> take pictures and videos
>>>>>>> Microphone
>>>>>>> record audio
>>>>>>> Other
>>>>>>> full network access
>>>>>>> view network connections
>>>>>>
>>>>>> WOW!!! Do you use any apps or does that kind of knowledge put you
>>>>>> off?
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, perhaps I'm just paranoid, but the sneaky stuff that apps
>>>>> take it on themselves to access does put me off. I doubt the
>>>>> apps are actually doing half the stuff the terms say they can,
>>>>> but why do they need it? Is all that just a byproduct of being an
>>>>> app or do they deliberately include code that accesses all those
>>>>> functions?
>>>>
>>>>I think Boron might be able to tell us?
>>>
>>> There are often two reasons why the permissions are requested - one is
>>> to perform the function of the app, the other is to better "flesh out"
>>> you behavioral data to sell it to the highest bidder.
>>>
>>> Take Groupon, for example, which is a US app/company that offers up
>>> discounts and coupons for local businesses. It sells your data for 20%
>>> more to advertisers if it is tracking you by GPS on your phone, so the
>>> ads can be more finely targeted. It also pulls your GPS data every 5
>>> minutes to do so. You can go in and turn it off in some cases, Groupon
>>> may be one of them, but it means turning off GPS on your phone
>>> altogether, not just doing so for the app, which does not give you an
>>> option. That GPS data suck can affect battery life in some phones,too.
>>> Again, one could consider it a quid pro quo if what the app does for
>>> you is really somethign you like, but it is also savvy to be aware
>>> just what data the app is sucking up and selling. And once again I say
>>> that this becomes a problem when the company changes its privacy
>>> policy, gets sold to another company or just does not guard its data.
>>>
>>> I have seen INDIVIDUAL print outs of data collection from mobile
>>> phones from users who have opted in for some app or program. I could
>>> plot that person's travels during the time frame by lat/long from a
>>> GPS conversion program. I have seen the list of every web site that
>>> person visited, ever bit of music listened to, every phone call made/
>>> received, every photo taken, every email sent, every text MSG in and
>>> out, every app used (includes things like ) - it goes on and on.
>>
>>Our GPS is turned off and as for the rest ... this is getting passed on to
>>Himself who is our techy
>>
>>Thank you very much, Boron for going to all that trouble. I am very
>>grateful!
>
> Happy to provide the info.
>
> Again, sometimes there is an app out there that is so appealing that
> its data drawbacks are outweighed by its benefits. By all means, then,
> go for it.

You have made me very wary. I doubt will be looking at new apps in the
future. If I do, may I consult you again?


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