Hello everybody! I'd like to try to discover why Microsoft and Apple target their application stores for countries while Android can do only one store for all applications. I understand that a good reason to segment applications are the laws of each country. Example: Take beer is considered something normal in the U.S., but may be considered an illegal act in Eastern countries. How Google can exempt from that responsibility? The future is that the Android Market is also divided into countries?
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Maybe Google aren't the savour of mankind.
U.S. antitrust regulators are focusing their investigation of Google Inc. on key areas of its business, including its Android mobile-phone software and Web-search related services, people familiar with the probe say.
Six weeks after serving Google with broad subpoenas, Federal Trade Commission lawyers, in conjunction with several state attorneys general, have been asking whether Google prevents smartphone manufacturers that use its Android operating system from using competitors' services, these people said.
Federal Trade Commission officials are focusing their antitrust investigation on several key areas of Google's business, including its Android mobile phone software and Web search related services. Joe White has details from Washington.
They also have inquired whether Google grants preferential placement on its website to its own products, such as Google's "Places" business listings, its "Shopping results" and Google Finance services above most other results.
And they're looking into allegations that Google unfairly takes information collected by rivals, such as reviews of local businesses, to use on its own specialized site and then demotes the rivals' services in its search results, the people said.
When the FTC probe first became official in June, Google said it wasn't clear what the agency was concerned about. But the early focus of the investigation suggests a potential threat to Google's plans to expand its commercial success beyond its current cash cow: the Web-search engine.
The European Commission, which has imposed restrictions on Microsoft Corp.'s ability to leverage its dominant computer-operating system to promote other services, has been carrying out its own broad antitrust probe of Google since last year.
Google denies that it engages in unfair or illegal competitive practices. The company has suggested the growing number of antitrust investigations have been spurred by rivals unsettled by its aggressive push into new business sectors.
"We understand that with success comes scrutiny," said a Google spokeswoman. "We're happy to answer any questions they have about our business."
An FTC spokeswoman declined to comment.
The FTC's probe is still at an early stage, with investigators seeking to learn the inner workings of a complex business. An investigation of this kind can last a year or longer and won't necessarily result in the FTC's filing a lawsuit.
Even so, the existence of the probe already appears to be affecting the Web giant's behavior. The company has made tweaks to its search engine to mollify rivals and head off a possible legal clash with antitrust authorities.
For example, FTC lawyers have asked several Web companies about Google's practice of including customer reviews from websites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor on Google's own "Places" service, which has millions of pages for individual local businesses, these people said. Google Places competes with Yelp and other business-review sites, which have alleged Google stole their content.
In meetings with some complaining websites, Google executives have held firm that the practice wasn't anticompetitive, according to representatives of those sites.
Late last month, Google said it had removed snippets of reviews that originated on other sites from Google Places.
As part of its probe, the FTC is preparing to send out civil subpoenas to third parties to provide documents and evidence in its investigation, said people familiar with the matter. Investigators have already held a series of exploratory meetings and interviews with Google, its competitors and other third parties, giving a flavor of the kinds of areas they're concerned about.
Investigators have been asking technology companies whether Google is restricting the use of rivals' services on mobile devices using its widely used operating system, Android, the people said.
One alleged example has come to light in a private lawsuit, filed against Google by Skyhook Wireless Inc. The Boston-based company accused Google of using its market power to pressure smartphone makers into dropping Skyhook's location-sensing technology in favor of Google's own, competing service. Google has called it a "baseless complaint."
FTC lawyers have also asked about the growing influence of Android and how it may be helping Google maintain its lead in Web search. Google's search engine is the default for many phones built using Android.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904823804576500544082214566.html#ixzz1UfxPzK00
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Hi
I don't know if this is frowned upon but I am looking for developers to be paid to develop some casino games on Android (and iPhone if possible) to be used on a private network where our players play for real money. If this is possible I can be reached at [email protected] (again if this is not breaking any rules....sorry and please delete if it is) to discuss any arrangements.
Thank You
Tim
U.S. law prohibits online gambling, which is why the big three poker companies were shut down. Unless you are running it from another country, say Antigua, you probably won't be able to post an app like that.
Android hardening - secure handling of personal data - local storage YES - cloud NO - Options and solutions
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Nowadays, when software developers sell "their products to the consumers" and "themselves to government agencies", it's essential to safeguard personal data of any kind.
Not because you are breaking the law in your country and are afraid for authorities.
But for respect of your private integrity and personal data.
Even more when you have your own business and government agencies use your private data for economical espionage and give your private company data to your competitors. That explains how various big companies from North America have won contracts against competitors from Europe, or viceversa.
So here come few advices for owners of Android smartphones.
1. Use a decent firewall with detailed logging capability: ukanth AFWall+, JTScholl Android Firewall.
Authorise only programs which you are well-informed what they do and where they go.
2. Use a good permissions logger/filtering program in interractive mode: Marcel Bokhorst XPrivacy.
Grant permissions only in interactive mode and use your knowledge and common sense to understand which program asks for a certain permission.
If you need a good program, but it asks for strange or anormal permissions thinking of what that progarm is suppose to do (use your thinking),
simply grant only permissions that you think are acceptable, in interactive mode, and check the logg of XPrivacy and of your firewall for all the communications. Block anything which looks suspicious.
The above tools are essential, does not matter you are from USA, Russia, China, Iran.
3. The security suite. Depending on your country and relations in respect to world powers, choose accordingly.
Are you from USA, hard to trust a chinese or russian product.
Are you from Russia, best protection comes from a russian product. Never trust a product made in USA or UK.
Are you from the 3rd world (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Iran - be well informed who are the enemies of your country - and never trust products from them).
It would be total inconscience for Iran to use USA or UK or Israel products.
Are you an international corporation spread, use at least double-layered security gateways with products from both USA and Russia or China, you'll see how they react against deetcted malware, according to its country of origin.
Don't be surprised if Symantec or McAfee or Comodo don't detect Stuxnet derivates.
4. Protection of own passwords, sensitive personal data, and so on.
NEVER use cloud solutions and any product with included cloud functionality and no local import/export of data.
On the list of shame comes almost all known products in category: Password Managers and Browsers.
Only exceptions: KeePassDroid, Keepass2Android Offline. (we'll see how long the Germany government will let the authors develop without introducing backdoors .
The only secure information managers which really can assure a minimal level of security for your private data.
Both freewares.
All other commercial products use only cloud for import/export/sync, and your private data is directly accessible to known government agencies.
Only browser with local import/export of bookmarks/passwords is Habit Browser (we'll see how long the Japan government will let the author develop without introducing backdoors .
All other browsers do not allow local import/export of bookmarks/passwords, only sync via cloud and your privacy is gone.
5. Regarding to anti-theft software. Same rules apply as at 3. (all depends on your country). Best, take well care of your device. The anti-theft has a double-face: depending on your software and most of your phone operator, it is not always to recommend to track your device. Many operators, even in foreign countries, give total access to government agencies into their infrastructure.
6. Email. Encrypt it, save it only locally on device and avoid sync to cloud or email apps doing that.
A good email program is MailDroid, but still not totally secure, due to its juridical placement on USA territory.
For better safety, use a browser and encrypted webmail.
Pity for AquaMail, a good but like Siber Systems Roboform Password Manager, pays its "tribute" to government agencies no local storage of individual emails. If we would make a joke, it seems that NSA pays better than all sold licenses for AquaMail, same as for Roboform Password Manager.
What is funny is that the author is living in Russia.
The list of big deceptions, products claiming respect your privacy and helping you doing it, but only empty words.
Mozilla Firefox browser and Siber Systems Roboform Password Manager. More than a year ago I contacted their managers and developers, they promised local import/export/sync. Nothing yet. Well, both being under USA jurisdictions, it's not a surprise, the USA government dictates (sorry NSA ).
With respect,
Zeno Sloim
http://zenosloim.blogspot.com/2014/10/android-hardening-secure-handling-of.html
Hi, we are a China-based start-up and operating two free android apps, a wallpaper app and a vision test app and focus on marketing them to north American and Europen audiences.
Considering app's compatibility with phones, we would like to do a survey about what android phones North American and Europe users use post and list the priority to optimize our app's compatibility on different phones.
"Sorry for making a mistake to add windows phone into the poll, but can't delete it now"
Researchers from "ThreatFabric", a computer and network security company, have discovered the latest version of Xenomorph. According to them, with the new update, the malware is one of the "most advanced and dangerous banking Trojans."
The fraudsters behind the Trojan are targeting victims worldwide. They have targeted a total of 400 banks, mainly from the United States, Spain, Turkey, Poland, Australia, Canada, Italy, Portugal, France and Germany.
Xenomorph is hiding behind an app that is currently still available in the Google Play Store (as of March 22). It is the app CoinCalc - Currency Converter by Sam Ruston.
Meanwhile, the fraudsters behind the malware can sit back and relax. Because Xenomorph is designed in such a way that everything from installing the software to transferring money is automated.
Previously, the Trojan was only able to read the banking data of smartphone users.
Another reason why 2FA is a THING in 2023.