If there's anyone here that cares about their privacy and doesn't know this already:
If you have a choice between accessing the website through a browser and installing an app, use the browser. Browsers (typically) at least try to protect the types of information that gets sent, whereas there are much fewer restrictions (again, typically) for apps.
Everyone wants you to install apps because apps (typically) get access to much more data.
Is this an Android issue I am too iOS faithful to understand?
Never seen a calculator ask my location. Most apps will ask nothing besides notification privileges, and will generally explain themselves fairly well before even attempt to ask for anything else. Walled gardens DO have some advantages, it seems.
It seems to me that convincing yourself that suffering constant and persistent attempts at data harvesting, malware infection, and other forms of exploits is a small price to pay NOT to be part of an alleged brainwashing cult is just as much of a cult as you believe me to be part of.
Default iOS is leagues ahead of android in regards to privacy and security. Massively so.
You need to install a third party OS to get something comparable on Android. Those are mainly limited to Pixels phones made by an advertising company for the purpose of generating more advertising opportunities.
Sure, as long as you're not an idiot and at least somewhat computer literate of course.
But the problem is that it appears that Android has fostered an entire ecosystem in which even asking for ludicrous levels of permission is totally acceptable, whereas doing anything like that on the App Store is a bannable offense. You're simply not going to get your app through the review process unless you provide a clear and reasonable explanation for why each permission is necessary, and state your privacy policy openly so as not to mislead users.
Like it or not, Apple does actually take these things seriously, and it sure does help cut down on the level of unnecessary frustrations I have to deal with when using my phone.
I don't know man. Putting the word "privacy" on a billboard doesn't mean that you take it seriously. Marketing agencies basically listen to every conversation you have and there's at least one application that accesses your location all the time on each platform. I used to go crazy thinking about these topics but there is simply no avoiding it, so I gave up.
To me iPhones are 🤏 this close to being a feature phone so I will keep my Android. You give the same data to Google by using their services anyway. 🤷♂️
Android apps are much more likely to ask for permission. There is very little moderation involved on the all store. Apps asking for unnecessary permission is very common.
@MacNCheezus@Interstellar_1 Earnest question - do you read the ToS on the apps on your phone? I know Apple recently has gotten on a pseudo-privacy kick as of late (they were having a bit of a public-facing slapfight with Facebook over it) but the apps may be collecting usage data and using the ToS to say they can. Apps like Spotify and GMaps are bad about this.
Does anyone really ever have the time for that? I'll leave it to the journos who being paid to look for a juicy scoop to tell me when they put something utterly egregious in there.
And yes, Google IS notoriously bad, but you know what, I don't HAVE to use their apps on my phone because Apple Maps is actually fairly good these days (and far more privacy focused, supposedly they process your data in a way that makes it impossible for them to create a comprehensive location profile, but I digress).
But you know, if you're worried about such things, I literally can't thing of a worse thing to do than to run an entire OS that is literally made by an advertising-based spyware company. If you run stock Android, you're basically trusting Google with root access to your entire digital life. If you think Google Maps is bad, handing them your entire phone on a silver platter is definitely far worse.
@MacNCheezus I'm not denying this, just figured I'd bring up that there's a lot that can go towards failing you, privacy-wise.
Apple has it's own host of problems (third-party repair lockouts being high on the list of them when I think about it) but if privacy is the primary concern they seem pretty good.
Sure, the OS is closed source and so is the review process, you kinda have to trust them to actually do what they promise. For everyday normal life stuff, it's likely safe enough though. Obviously, if you're a spy or a whistleblower operating in some high stakes scenarios, you'll probably want something else, but you also probably don't want Android unless it's been seriously hardened (i.e. something like Graphene).
I used to be the kind that would have downvoted this comment, but every android update has me eyeing apple more and more. If there were an equivalent to Tasker, I'd switch in a heartbeat.
Since I don't use Android and never have in the past, I'm obviously not familiar with the app and only took a quick look at its Play Store page, but it looks like Apple's Shortcuts appmight be at least somewhat similar to that (but likely a bit more limited).
