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Google Play Starts Manually Whitelisting SMS, Phone Apps (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Google is implementing major new Play Store rules for how Android's "SMS" and "Call Log" permissions are used. New Play Store rules will only allow certain types of apps to request phone call logs and SMS permissions, and any apps that don't fit into Google's predetermined use cases will be removed from the Play Store. The policy was first announced in October, and the policy kicks in and the ban hammer starts falling on non-compliant apps this week.
Google says the decision to police these permissions was made to protect user privacy. SMS and phone permissions can give an app access to a user's contacts and everyone they've ever called, in addition to allowing the app to contact premium phone numbers that can charge money directly to the user's cellular bill. Despite the power of these permissions, a surprising number of apps ask for SMS or phone access because they have other, more benign use cases. So to clean up the Play Store, Google's current plan seems to be to (1) build more limited, replacement APIs for these benign use cases that don't offer access to so much user data and (2) kick everyone off the Play Store who is still using the wide-ranging SMS and phone permissions for these more limited use cases. Google provides a help page that helps explain the new rules and offer workarounds for some use cases.
Google says the decision to police these permissions was made to protect user privacy. SMS and phone permissions can give an app access to a user's contacts and everyone they've ever called, in addition to allowing the app to contact premium phone numbers that can charge money directly to the user's cellular bill. Despite the power of these permissions, a surprising number of apps ask for SMS or phone access because they have other, more benign use cases. So to clean up the Play Store, Google's current plan seems to be to (1) build more limited, replacement APIs for these benign use cases that don't offer access to so much user data and (2) kick everyone off the Play Store who is still using the wide-ranging SMS and phone permissions for these more limited use cases. Google provides a help page that helps explain the new rules and offer workarounds for some use cases.
Google must really hate competition.
I would have said that Android was designed almost specifically to transfer information like call logs, SMS, and contact lists to very bad people. Why did Google suddenly change their minds after more than 10 years?
Google says the decision to police these permissions was made to protect user privacy.
HAHAHAHAHA
Like Google will ever do this. Their whole business model pretty requires a lack of this.
http://progressquest.com/spoltog.php?name=Son+Of+Son+Of+DarkRookie
Have Google's apps previously been abusing these permissions?
Can Google now circumvent this block?
There are sooo many Android apps that look nice - and free - at first, but then want to access every nook and cranny of your Android device, including the ability to look through your contacts directory and listen in/report on any phonecalls or other communications you perform with the device. My guess is that some of these apps are actually made by state-actors who want to eavesdrop on unsuspecting smartphone users all over the world - the information gleaned from users in other countries of these smartphone apps may be worth gold to these state-actors.
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
get more access to the users habits.
Keeps the ad competition out from getting free data sets.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
After all, the Goog can't have just anybody collecting and selling the information they are collecting and selling themselves now can they?
Too many apps abusing permissions and the privacy of users!!
This is a good decision by Google.
"You pestering kids me look bad! Git off my lawn. I dun need to git your excaptiochan to me permisshons! I make thar stuffs!"
And that's what you hear from your drunk uncle or..?
https://slashdot.org/story/350...
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
That this was ever any other way in the first place is a tragic indictment.
Is Google or anyone else keeping a tally of what apps have been whitelisted and those that failed?
How about they give back SMS permissions to the Hangouts app, so that it can register as the default SMS app and those of us who use our Google Voice # as our primary SMS can have the seamless integration back? As it is now, I can't click on a phone # from a contact to launch sending a text... or any other app that shows phone numbers. Instead, I have to go into Hangouts first then initiate the text from there.
I know it's be really complicated for Google to work with the company that makes Hangouts, but I'm sure some sort of channel of communication could be opened so that proper interoperability could be restored like it used to.
Remember, Apple's walked green is to keep you in. They don't sell your data; they lease you.
Maybe they can sort their own shit out first?
Google Translate on Android requires access to: Camera, Contacts, Microphone, SMS, Storage.
WTF does Translate need access to my Contacts or SMS? Not only that, but Translate requires Google Play Services to also have access to Telephone and Body Sensors. To translate some text.
Google cracked down on Android Lost a little while ago, which I find rather annoying. I have my own phones lo-jacked in case they get stolen, but now the app gets disabled by default. I'm sure this will be even worse now...
It's not a bug, it's a feature...