Launcher on android is just that - an app to launch other apps. Other apps can and do run in the background, without ever being explicitly launched. Think play services, location provider, wifi connection manager, etc. Since google runs its stuff at the highest level - nothing can hide from it. Other apps, like netflix, utilise internal telemetry. Assholes like facebook push the boundaries to the limit and collect literally every input of every sensor to have as much data about your environment as possible.
[Some apps] push the boundaries to the limit and collect literally every input of every sensor to have as much data about your environment as possible.
I don’t have something specific to read, my statement comes from questioning the declared permissions by apps. Why would, say, facebook - an app that, essentially, downloads and uploads content via http, need access to location, gyro, contacts, texts, call history, making calls, microphone, etc? Also, while I can’t prove it, as someone who works in computing I can guarantee there are undocumented/buggy/testing APIs and just straight up bugs that companies with enough resources can and do find and abuse. Cambridge analytica has only strengthened my view on this.
Apps often still work correctly with about 80-90% of their recievers/services/providers blocked, since they’re spyware, which doesn’t add functionality to the app.
XPrivacyLua will allow you to lie to apps when they request sensitive data.
Aditionally it will show you timestamps of what it lied about, to which apps, reveiling what they try to collect on you.
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That’s… Not at all how it works.
Don’t worry, you’re one of today’s lucky 10000!
Launcher on android is just that - an app to launch other apps. Other apps can and do run in the background, without ever being explicitly launched. Think play services, location provider, wifi connection manager, etc. Since google runs its stuff at the highest level - nothing can hide from it. Other apps, like netflix, utilise internal telemetry. Assholes like facebook push the boundaries to the limit and collect literally every input of every sensor to have as much data about your environment as possible.
TL;DR - custom launcher cool, but no cure.
Not a cure, but does stop me seeing ads. And frankly of you don’t want anyone to know what you’re watching, you wouldn’t be on Netflix either.
But my point remains that Android TV is still a better legal media player than a PC.
Scary. Recommend any further reading?
I don’t have something specific to read, my statement comes from questioning the declared permissions by apps. Why would, say, facebook - an app that, essentially, downloads and uploads content via http, need access to location, gyro, contacts, texts, call history, making calls, microphone, etc? Also, while I can’t prove it, as someone who works in computing I can guarantee there are undocumented/buggy/testing APIs and just straight up bugs that companies with enough resources can and do find and abuse. Cambridge analytica has only strengthened my view on this.
Take a look for yourself with a rooted phone.
Blocker will show you all the recievers/services/activities/providers the app uses,
and will allow you to block them.
https://github.com/lihenggui/blocker
Apps often still work correctly with about 80-90% of their recievers/services/providers blocked, since they’re spyware, which doesn’t add functionality to the app.
XPrivacyLua will allow you to lie to apps when they request sensitive data.
Aditionally it will show you timestamps of what it lied about, to which apps, reveiling what they try to collect on you.
https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacyLua
ClassyShark3xodus allows you to decompile and scan apps on the fly,
to check which well known trackers are embedded into it.
https://bitbucket.org/oF2pks/fdroid-classyshark3xodus
Idk if these apps still do it,
since I have not used them for years,
but that’s how I learned about many things like: