Palm Pre Reports Your Location and Usage To Palm

AceJohnny writes "Joey Hess found that his Palm Pre was ratting on him. It turns out the Pre periodically uploads detailed information about the user to Palm, including the names of installed apps, application usage (and crashes), as well as GPS coordinates. This, of course, is without user consent or control. The only way he found to disable the uploads was to modify system files."

Comments

Uncool

[sweatyboatman]

I read the privacy policy and it doesn't really seem like it's built to cover this kind of snooping.

And then there's this:

You may choose whether or not to provide your personal information to us. If you choose not to do so, you can continue to interact with Palm, but you may not be able to take advantage of certain products, services, offers, or options that depend on personal information.

So is there a website or a setting on the Pre to disable this thing. TFA seems to say there isn't.

I mean, there's utility in understanding how people are using your device. But not letting your users know you're uploading daily usage stats and not giving them a way to turn it off?

Truly Uncool.

Apps installed OK, crashes OK, location - HELL NO!

[wowbagger]

OK, I can see sending what applications are installed and what crashes have occurred given the user's explicit permission - I allow my Ubuntu boxes to participate in the "popularity contest" wherein what apps I install are (anonymously) logged, and I will frequently send crash reports to help get the cause of the crash fixed.

In both of those cases *I* decide if it happens, and I was informed of the data being uploaded.

But automatically reporting my GPS locations - HELL NO!!!

Yes, the Pre is a phone - as such it MUST, BY LAW be able to report its location to 911 (here in the US, natch). My phone (which is NOT a Pre) has been configured to turn GPS off for anything OTHER than E911. If I found out that it was NOT abiding by that selection - that it was sending position data to anyone other than E911 - then not only would I be terminating my cell contract, I would be filing suit against the makers of the phone AND the cell carrier.

Again, I can see why Palm would want apps installed and crash data - but WHAT DAMN BUSINESS is it of theirs to know position?!?!

Re:Did it not occur to PALM that this is BAD?

[VGPowerlord]

What are they going to do with the info anyway?

Does it matter? They're collecting information that they shouldn't be.

Would you be OK with a Mac sending Apple a list of all the files your user owns?
How about Linux sending the kernel developers your MAC and IP addresses (or traceroute)?
How about Windows sending Microsoft a list of all the search terms you've entered into Google? (via the TCP stack, not IE)

Since all 3 of these are OS-related, would you care if those got shuffled? (i.e. Windows sending Microsoft a list of all the files your user owns)

None of these hurt you in any way, yet I wouldn't want any of these situations happening.