yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
Well, you wrote:

To me it means that according to you Google gave us android for free and wanted something in return.

That's why I asked where you got your free phone because as for me I don't feel that Google has given me anything for free...

Seriously now, if they really only collected anonymous data it would be acceptable for most people. The problem is that they don't, the data is not anonymous and they sell it to anyone who give them a few bucks, and if it was not enough they give it to the secret services (apparently for free, nice). But hey, not the data from American citizens (at least not officially since they are supposedly protected by US laws), but the data from foreigners like me, cuz as everyone knows the civilised world ends at the US' boundaries.

You know, I have been aware of their cooperation with the secret services for ages, and so far I've had to keep my mouth shut because there wasn't any tangible proof and I didn't want to be mocked in tin foil hat style by all the clever people who still believed that Google, Facebook, Skype and co. are our friends.

But now that it's official I'm extremely pleased to talk about it, believe me, I've been waiting for years for this moment to come:)
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
ANDROID is open source, its free os. But I believe is that Google can't sell that to developer. They have to keep it open source for being in competition against Apple. So there is where the game starts, I mean who will do such gratuitous business. Its business, dirty business of playing with privacy of users.

Again,

I'm not here to promote apple or any other os. As a social community section, I wanted to share my views to all and make you aware about this dirtiness.
[General Questions and Answers] ctl8:
Stuff like CM should be free from "Googlespyware" if we deactivate all sync stuff, right? Or is that "Googlespyware" so deep in android, that even custom roms cant prevent it?
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
As k2wl said, there is a code inside the Android os which sends data to Google, which holds cm too... sync off will make no sense...
[General Questions and Answers] ctl8:
MPorpo was

But Android is Open Source isnt it? So why dont all the customrom devs just remove that spycode, or cutomize it, so that we can decide for ourselves if we want it active or not?
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
Even I expected such but if that was case than every customized rom would have "spycode removed" as feature. Such discussion had not taken place before, so now such need can now arise among the concern users.

I don't know much, but removal may be affecting the stability of rom. I assume it and I am not sure, this can be researched or expert and help making understand...
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
In a CM Rom there are no default Google apps, but if one checks the CM apps (like settings, system ui etc.) one will find exactly the same abusive permissions as in a stock Rom.

And as for a stock Rom, blocking those abusive permissions on a CM Rom won't prevent it from working normally.

I've tried a few CM Roms and everytime I blocked dozens of perms, read contacts, write contacts, read logs, read phone state and identity, read sms, write sms, connect to Wi-Fi, access coarse location, access precise location etc. etc, dozens I tell you (actually more than 100).

So don't expect a CM, or AOSP, or PA Rom to be any safer than a stock Rom.

Why is that so?

I'm not sure but I would say that the CM team can't do anything about it since their Roms are based on Android. Or said differently, Google told them that if they removed the spy ware they wouldn't be allowed anymore to make their Roms will Google's material.

Cuz one thing one has to know is that it's not very difficult to remove all the abusive perms directly at the source, play a bit with apk tools and you'll see how easy it is.

Until CM 7 there was a very nice option in the settings that enabled one to disable the unwanted perms, but Google got annoyed at it and the CM team had to remove that feature in the latter releases.

Another explanation would be that the CM guys are as bad as Google, but as for me I don't know enough about them and thus can't judge their motivations...
[General Questions and Answers] zelendel:
I can see the need for some of those permissions easily. Those permissions are needed to interact with the said apps for many things. You have to remember that the way android works one app cant force anything on another without the proper permissions. Take the phone state permission. This allows the system UI to read when you have an incoming call, are on a call or to interact with the call from the drop down, , allows it to display a missed call notification. The contacts are the same way with the with messaging.

Now dont get me wrong I distrust people more then most but I really think this is getting blown out of purportion alot. I mean if people really are that worried about being tracked, the only real way is to not use credit cards, shopping cards, discount cards of any nature, email, cell service, home internet, landlines ect...
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
Yes, some perms are needed. But many aren't. For example the settings app doesn't need to be able to read/write my contacts, to know my precise location, to connect and disconnect from the wi-fi, to change networks connectivity, to be allowed to call phones directly without my intervention etc. to work properly (I disabled those perms and everything works fine).

And that's just an example, at the time I started to find out about those perms I saw that most system apps just suck our data (contacts, sms, call log and more), pass it from apk to apk and then send it who knows where. Get permissions denied, or appsettings with xposer framework, and see by yourself...

As a rule of thumb I always uninstall as many system apps as I can, and replace them with less invasive and easier to tame downloaded apps (and anyway downloaded apps are better most of the time, default android gallery, pdf reader, video, browser or music app suck to my opinion).

On my tab I have like 8 or 9 default apps left, on my phone I had to keep more cuz it's a dual SIM model but I have only 21 left (and I will try to remove 2 or 3 more).

So this, plus the settings I mentioned on my first posts (plus some I'm currently working on like disabling the small data leak when the internet network turns on), don't leave much to suck from me.

Or well, I'm not an android expert and I'd be very interested to have some enlightenment on that matter from a confirmed dev, cuz I'd like to know if there are some other privacy leakage that I'm not aware of.

What a pity that open pdroid is not compatible with most stock Roms (unless you have the time and knowledge to compile from source, it's on my to-learn and to-do list) but only with CM based Roms:(
[General Questions and Answers] zelendel:
A dual sim device? Now there may be something to that. Is this a China based device?

Wayne Tech Nexus
[General Questions and Answers] ctl8:
Maybe CM is in that position, but about all the other custom roms? Is no rom out there, that supports this feature of spyware removal??? Seriously if its that easy, someone must have done it for some phone on some rom version...
[General Questions and Answers] zelendel:
Because removing every one of these permissions and making sure everything still worked would take a long time and I'm not talking months. More like a year for each update.

Alot of the permissions I have ever come across In The system apps can be explained easily.

Wayne Tech Nexus
[General Questions and Answers] ctl8:
But why would it be neccessary to remove permissions or anything like that. Wouldnt a change in the source code be enough, that instead of the spyware calling home to google, it just calling to a fake server ip or something to that effect? So the spying and all the needed stuff that comes with it would be effective, but noone would be able to collect the data...
[General Questions and Answers] zelendel:
And what info are you worried about them collecting? They are not collecting any personal info.

Wayne Tech Nexus
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
As I previously said all the custom Roms use android, which is owned by Google. If Google forbids them to use its base then it's the end. So the deal is:

you can use my material, but do not remove my spyware. Until CM7 there was a function in the apps settings that enabled us to block selectively any unwanted perm, but the CM team had to remove it cuz Google got annoyed at it.

So to answer your question, there's no Rom that doesn't have this spy stuff. CM, AOSP, PA etc., none.

The only solution would be to build another os and that's what Mozilla and Ubuntu are doing at the moment, but it's hard work as you can imagine.

Or to build a "pirate" android Rom, but it would be illegal since Google wouldn't allow you to do such thing and you wouldn't be able to display it here (poor xda forum, sued by big Google).

If you feel concerned about the perms just read my previous posts in the first and second pages, I explain how to do it.

zelenda:

uncle has a chinese phone? After all what he said about spying?

Wouldn't it be a bit antinomic?:)

Nope, I have a Samsung galaxy grand duo i9082. Not that I care to have two SIMs but at the time I needed a new phone the single SIM model wasn't released yet.

So back to my question, do you think that I have some privacy leakage despite my settings?

I add, in case someone is interested, that LBE apk, whose version on the Google play store isn't jb compatible, is available on xda and jb compatible, I just found out last night:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1422479
[General Questions and Answers] Spl4tt:
Wait a sec. I always thought, they spy thing are the google services.

I mean, I can install a pure android rom (AOSP/CM/AOKP or whatever), but do not flash the gapps. So I don't have any google services and no "spyware"

Or am I really wrong? I don't know the sourcecode of android
[General Questions and Answers] zelendel:
The reason I ask about the china phone is that the gov in China have laws that make this type of snooping on personal data legal. So with a device made for China it would not surprise me to see alot of permissions that were odd.

As I stated before I Looked at the permissions in some of the settings apk and they can be explained easy enuff. With the way android works. These permissions are there so you can change the settings without the deen for a stand alone apk for each and everyone of them.
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
In any phone or tab there are three spy groups.

One from the gapps, so if you don't install them you're fine on that side.

One from downloaded apps, but it's easy to block the abusive perms, see my previous posts. Don't believe me? Have a look at this article:

http://www.xda-developers.com/tag/permissions/

One from system apps, so you have to uninstall as many as you can, and block invasive perms on the remaining ones. That's for stock or custom Roms (CM, AOSP, PA, AOKP) alike, NO Rom is spies free...

Zelenda:

I know what Chinese are capable of (I've been many times to China), and I would never buy one of their phones! This said their country is very nice and interesting for traveling but that's another story, xda is not a travel forum:)

Regarding the system apps' perms, if some are needed some are definitely not.

For example on a wi-fi only tab those apps don't need to have the read phone state perm (one of the worst perms, it gives your device's unique identifying number).

They don't need either to be allowed to connect to the internet, to call phones without user's intervention, to read contacts, to change the phone state, the network state etc.

I'm sure about it cuz as I already said I blocked all those perms, on both my tab and my phone, and everything still works fine...
[General Questions and Answers] panda00:
This thread is becoming amusing. People you are asking for the impossible, you're asking that no data should be collected at all. Which is impossible, by all means impossible. How do you expect to remain completely anonymous? Do know that if no app collects data, your phone will become a futile brick, beyond that, even then, your calls are kind of monitored.

What everyone needs to understand is... nobody cares about your personal information, nobody. If something is collecting your info, they care about the money and that is it.

Sent from my GT-I9105P
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
Bro, i would like to point out that, your statements are contradictory!

" How do you expect to remain completely anonymous? " and "What everyone needs to understand is... nobody cares about your personal information, nobody."

I know but One Question puts me out of the box of rational thinking, the question is
[General Questions and Answers] panda00:
No... no contradiction is present in my comment, I admitted that your data is collected. But no one cares who you are, everything is automated.

Sent from my GT-I9105P
[General Questions and Answers] hex_code:
Another question is, Why someone need your personal information??

Money, Well this is something important and if someone trading for it then probably that information also worth it.

Today, mobile become more vulnerable then other devices and Facebook is biggest invader. One app doing it all compared to whole Android OS or other Google apps.

If you are concerned about privacy & security then avoid facebook or atleast fb mobile app.
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
thanks for clarification.

thats something mostly don't know. Let take an example.

Few years back, a 5 star luxury hotel was caught selling information to the required person. So that is a crime already. Just cause we trust Google we have blind faith.

There are people who are ready to buy the information. I mean who will not sell the material they have? Its all about profits and no social responsibility.
[General Questions and Answers] panda00:
You are wrong there. Nobody "trusts" Google. It's just that you're of zero importance to them, they will not hire people to sit at desks and look at a million people's info flowing everyday from people browsing Google. I would like you to give me one reason why Google wants to sit down and look at your info, if you cannot it stays paranoia.

Sent from my GT-I9105P
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
Google or Facebook don't care about you and me individually, that's true.

But what they do, even if as you said it's automated, is collecting data, and making files about us. Files that are pretty accurate.

For example uncle fab, he has that email, he does often searches on Google for xda threads, he has this Facebook account with this and that picture, he looks like this, he's friend with muslim associations (all these being examples, I don't have any Facebook account and I'm not friend with anyone on the web, I rather have real life friends), he writes articles on this commie website, he's active on this anti globalisation forum, he attended that anti capitalism meeting and so on.

Then they have a file ready to be handed to whoever pays for it (commercial websites) or requests it (nsa, fbi).

The first one I don't care, their advs end up in the spam bin. The second I do mind, I don't want to have a bunch of armed idiots storming my flat cuz my name popped out as a probable terrorist just because I've been to a "suspect" website and befriend "suspect" people, or because I'm against America's way of life and policy.

You have to bear in mind that it's only the beginning, in 10 years or maybe even less it will be much more worse. We will be even more spied than today, and the world's paranoia about terrorism and security will have increased.

Then it's up to you of course, you are free, but you may wake up a morning with a serious hangover...
[General Questions and Answers] panda00:
NSA? FBI? Paranoia

Sent from my GT-I9105P
[General Questions and Answers] interloper:
Despite the huge surge in development over the last four years Google is first and foremost an advertising company. To better advertise, and to make money more efficiently, Google is collecting data and using analytic metrics to put the right products in front of the right people. Marketing is the SCIENCE of manipulation. It's a science. Since the invention of the printing press the dissemination of ideas has defaulted to using the current science to control the minds and hearts of the people to seperate them from their money. Today, the minds and hearts of people, in many instances but not all, happen to be on commercialism. Google isn't doing anything new by getting information about its target market and selling the right product because of it. Why does Google want data about where you are when you take a picture? Because there are possibly businesses in the area Google can sell ads for. All the questions you have about why are answered in this summary response: to make money selling ads. Google servers have no emotional connection to your pictures and could not care less about their subjects or location. Google is not interested in making money selling or leaking your information to any government in the world. If they did so, they would be destroying their own future. I would suggest your "personal data" is safer with Google than with Microsoft or Yahoo; they have MUCH more to lose. If Yahoo or Microsoft sell or leak your data, they have other products and services to sustain their business if they can clean up the mess well enough to please the people. Google does not and it's leaders, partners and investors know that well enough to keep your secrets until they are no longer relevant. In keeping with the core value of self-serving survival business in the shark infested waters of data security Google releases a transparency report every year. You can read the report here: http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/ No, I do not work for Google; I am not an intern, student, partner or investor. I am just a user. I hope my response lends some understanding into what is quickly becoming a difficult topic to discuss. Cheers and out!
[General Questions and Answers] TheStrokerace:
You hit it right on the head. That is why they want all your data. To know what you do, what you search for so they can produced Ads that better suit your needs. Its too bad that their are stupid people out there and fall for this trick. I have been blocking ads for years. I don't care what Joe blow has for sale of it bill joe has a new puppy. The long and short of it is, they are making lazy people lazier. I don't shop online as there is nothing online worth buy or cheaper then I can get by walking into a store in my area.

I forgot to add. Sites that use google ads are making money off of Google by having them on their site. You don't even have to click on them for them to track you either.
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
Well said...

This thread has a comprehensive information about the tittle...

I thank all for active corporation..

To err is human; to forgive is divine
[General Questions and Answers] SonicX2014:
I have to add my two-cents worth......

The one thing that burns me up more than knowing I'm being spied on is the companies in question selling my personal data for profit. There should be a law in place that if any company decides to share personal data for profit that royalties must be paid to the parties that there personal data is being sold?

I think of all the money I would have right now if such a law was in place. :crying:
[General Questions and Answers] zasy99:
There are so many products / apps / websites, government agencies etc etc etc that can get info on you its nearly impossible to really hide if that's what you are really trying to do.

If you're really worried about how much the google OS spies on you then I'm guessing you also don't use any social apps / websites, or do you?

By the way, don't think the other mobile OS's don't do the same, they may just be better at hiding it.

I look at it like this.

I don't have anything to hide and life's too short and already too stressful to worry about all this.

Just use the device and enjoy it.

:cowboy:
[General Questions and Answers] silentvisitor:
Profiling or citizen database in any way is/can be dangerous. Nobody can guarantee future.

Lets have a look at what all information does Google have about YOU through your Android phone :

YOUR NAME

01. Your picture

02. Your complete Contact list with pictures, e-mail ids, phone numbers, birthdays, etc.

03. Whom you met or gonna meet (Calendar) (Btw, there were digital and much powerful calendars way before Google Calendar e.g BlackBerry)

04. With whom you talked, when and how long (Call log) (Read Privacy Policy \ Log information )

05. Your family and other images (Picasa web albums) (Google+ auto-upload)

06. Your WiFi passwords (device backup)

07. Where you are located or went (location)

08. Which sites you visited (Android browser google login)

09. Which device/s you own.

10. Your files (Google drive) (no encryption) (Also Gmail attachments)

11. What you searched (Google search and Now)

12. Your pic (Chrome has Camera permissions) (everything can be used in two ways)

13. Your daily route (Google Now)

14. What you talked with someone through chat (GTalk) (its their servers, right)

15. Finally, your emails and its contents. Read this (I believe we will see many such things in near future as awareness increases)

Ever heard about NSA or PRISM ;)

There is much more to it than meets the eye or this list.

Today, Google and Facebook (primarily Google) knows more about you than your own parents or spouse and that's frightening. If not today then tomorrow.
[General Questions and Answers] DBZo07:
Things seems to be helpless, I cant find way to destroy links with Google account and use my Grand i9082 ! I cant buy new for time being! I need a strong advice.

[MENTION=4546136]silentvisitor[/MENTION] [MENTION=5013320]zasy99[/MENTION] [MENTION=5279717]TheStrokerace[/MENTION] @interloper [MENTION=4703661]unclefab[/MENTION] [MENTION=1140856]zelendel[/MENTION] @Product F(RED) @D4rkSoRRoW @panda00

To all the My Respected Experts,

1) Whats the escape route?

2) How as an expert this invasion can be avoided?

3) IF can't trust Google than whom can we trust?

4) Give you tweaks or trick which can give me assurance than my data is safe!!
[General Questions and Answers] silentvisitor:
My current setup is

XPrivacy + Android firewall + Host file + Greenify.

See if this setup help you too :)

Good luck !
[General Questions and Answers] unclefab:
I use the same apps, plus appsettings (block permissions) and permissions denied (same).

I removed all the Google apps, including the infamous network location and Google services framework. I removed Google perms in the system/etc/permissions folder, and Google related libs in the system/lib folder.

In the data/system folder I changed dropbox and usage stats folders permissions to 0, 0, 0.

And recently I've deleted my gmail email and switched to another email provider.

Now I wait for Mozilla os, let's see how it is, and I keep an eye on Ubuntu mobile. Cuz soon I will leave android, and even more now that Google made a pact with nestle (you know, this nice company who kills children in third world countries http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé_boycott ) with his shameful android kitkat.

Oh, last one, I use duckduckgo instead of Google to search the web...
[General Questions and Answers] xsenman:
Interesting discussion. Something to ponder about too.

http://news.yahoo.com/google-loses-appeal-street-view-snooping-case-181930961--finance.html

In addition you may want to read this , this and this

Check this out!You , YES! you are an " Android ". Not your phone but U.

You Must watch this documentary concerning your privacy Terms & Conditions we had agreed to, by using a PC or Smartphone

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