The most common allegation against Android has been security. Most of the free apps found in Play Store, need some peculiar permissions over the smartphone you about to install the app.
To get over this messy situation Google introduced “Enhanced Privacy Controls" in Android 4.3, that enables users to install apps while preventing the app to collect your private data that can be accessed from your smartphone. This feature was complemented by Android users and many took a sigh of relief.
But now in the latest update of Android(4.4.2) the feature has been removed by Google. :-(
Google says the original release of this feature was an accident.
App Ops was a privacy component installed in the Android 4.3 which guarded user's personal information from being collected by any new app.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation(EFF) reported Wednesday that they had praised the privacy feature in a blog post on their website earlier this week, and the next day they came to know that the praised feature isn't available anymore on Android 4.4.2 update.
Google told EFF that the feature included in 4.3 update by accident, and claimed the control was experimental and might break apps policed by it.
EFF explained that there are other ways available for Google(if only it wished)though, It could've either fetched fake info to the app or by forcing app developers to redesign their apps to run their app with it.
EFF terms this disappearance of App Ops a “Stygian hole in the Android security model", given that there is no way to dissuade app permissions even if the permission is completely unnecessary, despite the availability of easy fixes.
The Digital Rights group urged Google to renew App Ops for Android while making necessary improvements. Google could have done this, EFF said, by adding targeted controls for users to be able to choose which apps can access the sensitive data. The organization further stated Google could make App Ops workable for app developers at the same time.
According to EFF, Android users must choose a path between privacy and Overall protection, as Android 4.4.2 includes updates to security and denial-of-service bugs.
The removal of the security feature comes at a time when mobile phone users especially Android users constantly facing unauthorized snooping by the apps they downloaded not only by side loading but also from the apps downloaded from Play Store even when the app haven't seek for data sharing.
A few days ago, The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) found a popular free Android app “Brightest Flashlight", which uses phone's flash to work as flashlight, has been sharing the device's unique identification data and gps location to advertisers and marketing networks.
Goldenshores Technology, the US developer behind this app, recently made a settlement with FTC though. This app has been installed in millions of Android devices according to the agency.
So, guys what do you think of this step taken by Google? Please share your thoughts in this matter in the comments section.
Source
To get over this messy situation Google introduced “Enhanced Privacy Controls" in Android 4.3, that enables users to install apps while preventing the app to collect your private data that can be accessed from your smartphone. This feature was complemented by Android users and many took a sigh of relief.
But now in the latest update of Android(4.4.2) the feature has been removed by Google. :-(
Google says the original release of this feature was an accident.
App Ops was a privacy component installed in the Android 4.3 which guarded user's personal information from being collected by any new app.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation(EFF) reported Wednesday that they had praised the privacy feature in a blog post on their website earlier this week, and the next day they came to know that the praised feature isn't available anymore on Android 4.4.2 update.
Google told EFF that the feature included in 4.3 update by accident, and claimed the control was experimental and might break apps policed by it.
EFF explained that there are other ways available for Google(if only it wished)though, It could've either fetched fake info to the app or by forcing app developers to redesign their apps to run their app with it.
EFF terms this disappearance of App Ops a “Stygian hole in the Android security model", given that there is no way to dissuade app permissions even if the permission is completely unnecessary, despite the availability of easy fixes.
The Digital Rights group urged Google to renew App Ops for Android while making necessary improvements. Google could have done this, EFF said, by adding targeted controls for users to be able to choose which apps can access the sensitive data. The organization further stated Google could make App Ops workable for app developers at the same time.
According to EFF, Android users must choose a path between privacy and Overall protection, as Android 4.4.2 includes updates to security and denial-of-service bugs.
The removal of the security feature comes at a time when mobile phone users especially Android users constantly facing unauthorized snooping by the apps they downloaded not only by side loading but also from the apps downloaded from Play Store even when the app haven't seek for data sharing.
A few days ago, The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) found a popular free Android app “Brightest Flashlight", which uses phone's flash to work as flashlight, has been sharing the device's unique identification data and gps location to advertisers and marketing networks.
Goldenshores Technology, the US developer behind this app, recently made a settlement with FTC though. This app has been installed in millions of Android devices according to the agency.
So, guys what do you think of this step taken by Google? Please share your thoughts in this matter in the comments section.
Source
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