this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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117
Why Reddit blocked my daily visit to its mobile website. (arstechnica.com)
submitted 3 days ago by sanitation@lemmy.radio to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] Paragone@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Just read the permissions of their app, & know why it's untrustworthy.

  • take picturs and videos
  • record audio ( these may be a problem, if they can do it when you don't know it's happening )
  • advertising ID permission
  • ready sync settings
  • run foreground service
  • run at startup
  • read user selected image and video files from shared storage ( this isn't the problem: this is The Proper Way )
  • read badge notifications
  • view network connections
  • prevent tablet from sleeping
  • access to AdId API ( that's ad id, not adLd )
  • view Wi-Fi connections
  • use fingerprint hardware
  • show notifications
  • receive data from internet
  • install shortcuts
  • read Google service configuration
  • read audio files from shared storage ( these ARE the problem: they can upload ANY audio/video/image file they can find, up to them, & you've "agreed", .. so they could "legally" harvest personal-images/videos from all app-user's phones, & you'd have no legal basis to sue them )
  • read video files from shared storage
  • read image files from shared storage
  • control vibration
  • Google Play billing service
  • toggle sync on and off
  • detect screen captures of app windows
  • have full network access
  • use biometric hardware
  • Play Install Referrer API
  • change your audio settings
  • run foreground service with the type "dataSync"

TBH, I'm astonished they didn't require Contacts permission, which apparently also grants the right to upload-to-them all one's messages ( made me sick, when I found that out ).

DO NOT INSTALL UNTRUSTWORTHY APPS.

Apps should have ONLY the honestly-required permissions, NOT permissions which gaslight about valuing/protecting/serving the user.

No more ruled-by-machiavellian-clowns.

_ /\ _

[–] XLE@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

I think some of those permissions can be granted and revoked on a granular basis (even file management, IIRC), but many of them cannot be. Advertising ID cannot be, for example. That connects directly to the Google Play Services app, and the only way to stop it is to either delete Play entirely, or pray that Google respects whatever setting you have to flip three screens deep.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is there an app that scans all your apps for permissions that you dont want but may have overlooked or had been preinstalled?