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manicdepressive07
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Exclamation Mar 06, 2013 at 11:32 PM
  #1
And other apps... PLEASE make sure you read the terms & conditions BEFORE you click "accept & download!" I just found this article today and it made me want to spread the word.

All apps you download & buy (in whichever app marketplace you use for your iphone/android) make you "accept" and allow permission to have certain access to your phone & details before you can download the app. I used to never read these terms and would frequently hit "accept & download" without much thought... until now.

If you use the facebook app on your smartphone you give the app the following permission under "hardware controls":

Record audio -Allows the app to record audio with the microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation.

Take pictures and videos - Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation.

There are others permissions you grant the app to have access to as well. After reading the article I made sure I went to the "application manager" in my phone settings, re-read all the permission for each app I had installed, and deleted the apps I didn't want anymore now that I know about the permissions I granted them.

Not trying to scare anyone... just wanted to keep you all informed and remind you to always READ the permissions before you download an app! That is all
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Travelinglady
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Default Mar 07, 2013 at 07:06 PM
  #2
Thanks for the advice! I'm getting to the point where I'm afraid to click on any kind of computer device!
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IchbinkeinTeufel
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Default Mar 07, 2013 at 09:16 PM
  #3
Some of that is necessary for the application to properly function*. No need to panic, just avoid generic apps if you're particularly worried, and stick with well known top-branded products, like Facebook. I highly doubt that Facebook will risk a bazillion lawsuits because they decided to spy on Joe Bloggs' phone call, and if they had, it would likely be littered all over the place. What you are right to be concerned about, are the generic and sometimes blatantly suspicious apps that litter themselves over the various markets.

* Such as uploading pictures to Facebook via the camera, including audio for videos, and other features. The phone lets you know what the application could do, but not what it will do, this is possibly not just for security purposes but as a sort of preliminary law-related warning.

Even given all that, though, I do wish there were more security options on phones, especially with all the stuff going about. With a PC, it's as simple as disabling a port, a hardware device, blocking a function, or various other methods, but on a phone.. IDK.. for me, I sometimes feel kind of restricted, even with Android's generous selection of options.

The main thing that concerns me, is location related stuff, which genuinely creeps me out, and is why I disable all GPS related shizz, ASAP; I hardly ever use it.

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