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Subject:Re: Dictionary or Grammar app From:"Sweet, Gregory P (HEALTH)" <gregory -dot- sweet -at- health -dot- ny -dot- gov> To:"techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 8 Aug 2017 12:17:45 +0000
Could be they are harvesting your data, but more likely they are just lazy developers. Having been on a few Android app build teams, Iâve learned that you have to turn off the permissions you donât want your app to have. Since the Android markets are a free-for-all-wild-wild-west the default mode is that every app asks for every permission. The thinking behind this, I suppose, is to raise the red flag on crapware dumped into the market place, i.e., âOh this developer didnât pay any attention to permissions so this is likely to be crappy.â Or âTheyâre clearly trying to harvest my data!â.
All that being said, Iâve never needed a dictionary app beyond google/siri.
Thanks!
Greg
On 8/7/17, 3:22 PM, "techwr-l-bounces+gregory -dot- sweet=health -dot- ny -dot- gov -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com on behalf of Robert Lauriston" <techwr-l-bounces+gregory -dot- sweet=health -dot- ny -dot- gov -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com on behalf of robert -at- lauriston -dot- com> wrote:
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A simple app such as a dictionary (which is typically either just an
ebook or a wrapper for a web site) shouldn't need any permissions at
all, but their business model may be to sell your data or use it to
make more money from ads by targeting them more precisely.
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 11:09 AM, Cardimon, Craig <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com> wrote:
> Sure, they could be. The app is being interpreted as spyware right now, however.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lauren [mailto:lauren -at- writeco -dot- net]
> Sent: Monday, August 07, 2017 2:07 PM
> To: Cardimon, Craig <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>; 'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com' <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Subject: Re: Dictionary or Grammar app
>
> On 8/7/2017 5:15 AM, Cardimon, Craig wrote:
>> Dictionary app is getting a bad rap for requesting a very wide range of permissions that it should not need.
>
> Maybe they are setting up for something bigger. Can the app work without those permissions? My version of the app has switches for permissions of Phone, Storage, and Location. Only Location is enabled. I'm sure that is for ad support but it may be regional as well. I think Storage is for offline use. I have no idea how the app would use my Phone.
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