Database Info

Privacy Concerns - Google Firmware

I am concerned that Google has their tentacles all throughout the OS, and I want to take all measures to stop that. I particularly don't like their search query tracking (I use ixquick) and their nav app, as their privacy policies are atrocious.
Before someone accuses me of being a hacker or criminal, I am simply not willing to hand over my 220 year old Constitutional rights for a transient fear campaign manufactured by The Machine. And I do not want my information used for profit without permission. I used to be a cracker, and know what is possible. I'll not respond to those who call me 'paranoid'; they are oblivious.
Of course I'll not be using the apps of that-search-engine-everybody-uses. Removing them forthwith, in favor of whatever GPL open-source apps there are available for various functions. Using self-contained nav software like CoPilot or TomTom.
So, have any devs investigated whether Android phones home at any interval? Have measures been taken to privacy-enable the Android firmware?
I hear that HTC has some sort of 'phone home' function. How to neuter that?
What good is Wifi? Is it that you can use that when available, not using up 3G bytes? I am asking what use it is on a mobile in consideration of mobility and the security problems -- what uses can this be put to, and how to secure the phone?
Where is the best place to find open-source apps?

I'm curious about this as well, not so much from a privacy standpoint, but how the hell can I stop the mysterious data that is flowing out of my phone when everything like background syncing and all data connections are turned off.

http://source.android.com/
This is all you need - you could remove/modify anything you want, so... what's your problem? And actually Google apps aren't in the Android sources, so you won't have them after compiling. Yeah, two birds with one stone.
Also you could disable WiFi if you don't like it.
Tachikoma_kun said:
how the hell can I stop the mysterious data that is flowing out of my phone when everything like background syncing and all data connections are turned off.
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Errr... what ROM and how many apps do you have installed? There is no "mysterious data" on clean system, but 25% of apps use data connection for various reasons.

I'm on the stock 2.1 ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S. I turn all the background syncing, email, and stuff like that off, and overnight it can use about 1MB of data.
I don't have any "free" apps running that might download new banners or anything like that.

The background syncing does not turn anything off as far as I know.
To my knowledge it allows 3rd party apps the ability to check if the user has flagged this, but they do not have to respect this flag.

Tachikoma_kun said:
I'm on the stock 2.1 ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S. I turn all the background syncing, email, and stuff like that off, and overnight it can use about 1MB of data.
I don't have any "free" apps running that might download new banners or anything like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Syncing is just... syncing. But there are many other things, that apps do. Spare Parts -> Battery history -> Network usage.

Brut.all said:
http://source.android.com/
This is all you need - you could remove/modify anything you want, so... what's your problem?
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What's my problem, LOL? I am a 52yo real estate developer, not a coder. This is why I'm asking the question.

Quantumstate said:
What's my problem, LOL? I am a 52yo real estate developer, not a coder. This is why I'm asking the question.
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i think he meant either put up or shut up, which is a pretty reasonable statement.
IMO it's anonymous user data.... let them build cybernet
otherwise say no to the T.O.S that is your constitutional right if you have "privacy" concerns

Brut.all said:
Syncing is just... syncing. But there are many other things, that apps do. Spare Parts -> Battery history -> Network usage.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, will give that a try.

themapleboy said:
i think he meant either put up or shut up, which is a pretty reasonable statement.
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I meant we all have access to the sources, so we don't have to "investigate" what Android exactly does - we just know, that it doesn't do any "mysterious" things. There are many people working with these sources for many months, I doubt there are some undiscovered things.

Brut.all said:
I meant we all have access to the sources, so we don't have to "investigate" what Android exactly does - we just know, that it doesn't do any "mysterious" things. There are many people working with these sources for many months, I doubt there are some undiscovered things.
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u know what they say about assuming...... it always makes you look like a jackass

Yeah, I mean we're not playing with iOS4 or anything.
In all seriousness, Android's been out for quite a while now and has been looked at by a LOT of people. Not saying that it's *impossible* but it's highly unlikely that anything nefarious is going on.
If you're still concerned, I suppose you could always opt not to install the Google Apps, but you'd be a bit limited, functionality-wise.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

themapleboy said:
let them build cybernet
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Click to collapse
O' little do you know... many years ago I did work in Eastern Europe. You have no idea the paranoia a society can endure. For an idea, watch the old TV series Danger Man. Or the movie 1984.
If most young people share your view, it is a dark future. I'm glad I'll be dead.
herald83 said:
In all seriousness, Android's been out for quite a while now and has been looked at by a LOT of people. Not saying that it's *impossible* but it's highly unlikely that anything nefarious is going on.
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Understand. I just can not believe though that Google is not harvesting some sort of information, as that's their business model. They never discard any info they receive, and you can build a shockingly accurate portrait of someone from their searches over time. Google's CEO recently said, "If You Have Something You Don't Want Anyone To Know, Maybe You Shouldn't Be Doing It", echoing the Bush Doctrine of a Police State.
Maybe Android is innocuous for now, and I'm sure it's been examined. But I'm wondering what the results were? Why are ppl seeing data outflows?

I smell a rat...
Quantumstate said:
...Before someone accuses me of being a hacker or criminal, I am simply not willing to hand over my 220 year old Constitutional rights for a transient fear campaign manufactured by The Machine. And I do not want my information used for profit without permission. I used to be a cracker, and know what is possible. I'll not respond to those who call me 'paranoid'; they are oblivious...
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Quantumstate said:
What's my problem, LOL? I am a 52yo real estate developer, not a coder. This is why I'm asking the question.
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Click to collapse
A 52yo real estate developer, whose not a coder, but used to be a "cracker" and knows what is possible? Anyone else here think this doesn't make a bit of sense?
It's funny, but it sounds like someone is trying to stir up some FUD by making claims that Android is somehow doing an "All your data are belong to us...". I hope Apple aren't paying your cheques!

@perpetualmotionuk: Be advised that there is a difference between mathematics and decryption, and coding. Yes I can do some coding, but not at a level necessary to analyze and modify an operating system.
If Apple were paying my 'cheques', wouldn't I come in with some sort of proof that monitoring is taking place? Rather than asking what others have found?
Now, rather than trying to tear people down, why don't you use that considerable nose to investigate this yourself?

No one's seen anything about info leakage?

Quantumstate said:
Understand. I just can not believe though that Google is not harvesting some sort of information, as that's their business model. They never discard any info they receive, and you can build a shockingly accurate portrait of someone from their searches over time. Google's CEO recently said, "If You Have Something You Don't Want Anyone To Know, Maybe You Shouldn't Be Doing It", echoing the Bush Doctrine of a Police State.
Maybe Android is innocuous for now, and I'm sure it's been examined. But I'm wondering what the results were? Why are ppl seeing data outflows?
Click to expand...
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Most of that data is pulled from search history, I suspect. Which you can disable, if I recall. Don't have my phone on me at the moment to confirm.

I just did a very simple test on an emulator: after ~15 minutes of running system there was 0 (zero, null) of network packets. Now I want to do the same on a device with clean system, but I think results will be the same or similar (SDK system is just normal Android - very similar to these from devices).
I have a feeling that even if I will catch zero packets as well, you will be asking whether Google send something mysterious through... errr... bluetooth? Some hidden antenna?

If you're worried about Google tracking your info...root the phone and don't install the Google apps. What do ya know...problem solved.
If you're still worried that people are tracking what you are doing see steps below.
1) Flush phone or give to a homeless guy to throw them off.
2) Destroy Computers.
3) Liquidate everything you own.
4) Walk into the woods and live off the land.
5) Kill self shortly after because they already have a file on you.
You say you're a 52 year old real estate developer...guess what...they're already tracking you. You're already helping to build "cybernet" just by living and breathing.
And if you are really worried about your "220 year old Constitutional Rights" then go read the Patriot Act and discover that you don't have ****.
I'm normally not one to flame...but you are an absolute idiot.

I'm not an English person, excuse for the syntax/grammar/... mistakes I'd could make.
hedjemunkee said:
I'm normally not one to flame...but you are an absolute idiot.
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I don't understand WHY this person could be considered as "an absolute idiot" by ASKING if some 'data' are sent over the network through the phone.
Facebook, with it's ad system is sending information for each ad displayed (not alot, but still some !)....
ADS.GOOGLE do you have any idea about what's behind !?
I don't have the number (nobody have it) of webpages using it but it's huge. with this you can track navigation of people, establish profiles, link to a physical person. Without your consent.
I understand the concern of the "OP" here. I don't think the data sent are easy to "catch", or are systematically sent... maybe there is no, and you are paranoid. But it "COULD". So easily. I'm from the young tech generation.
And to quote
Quantumstate said:
If most young people share your view, it is a dark future. I'm glad I'll be dead.
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Click to collapse
People who don't ask themselve the question, or wich refuse to be open minded enough to consider the right to ask this question ... could be surprised very soon. I'm not directly affraid of "google". I'm affraid of those 'blind' people.
You'll be dead in less than 10years !? I hope we can share some of the darkness you're talking about. your parent's generation started it, you continued it.
Anyway, back to the topic.
Why in my pocess list i've : (app id number) com.ap.SnapPhoto:remote
even when I do not use the camera !?
...when I notice my battery is being used more than usual I check the process list and I find this...
What's this "remote" !?
Maybe "remote" refers to "another app wich launch this app"... ? Otherwise... wow.

Silent Sms attacks/tracking

so apparently the German government (and other entities) have been using silent sms attacks to keep tabs on its civilians
they send a silent sms to someones phone, it dosent show up at all on their device, but it pings back Imei numbers and other info, which can be cross reffed with the operator log of the towers and used to compile an entire movement profile for an individual
now i dont know about you but as an upstanding citizen this kind of crap concerns the heck outta me.
i believe further exploration into some sort of defense against ssms attacks is in order but it is way above my paygrade

I'm not so sure about this.. So the mobile OS developers, operators and the government(s) are involved in this? To me this sounds like someone is a bit paranoid.

It is possible and may not be at the behest of the cell providers. Look at the things that the US government has done in this regard. The patriot act here in the states gives the government the right to view and track calls, emails, and so forth. Though it could be a false alarm it is possible. :s
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

Eeroz said:
I'm not so sure about this.. So the mobile OS developers, operators and the government(s) are involved in this? To me this sounds like someone is a bit paranoid.
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Click to collapse
Not the OS developers, it purely has to do with the carriers. I remember reading a lot about similar things in the past, like pinging a phone, class 0 sms', etc. Does anyone have any related links, whether relating to the governments use or these pinging sms' in general? Sounds like an interesting topic!

ishmael345 said:
It is possible and may not be at the behest of the cell providers. Look at the things that the US government has done in this regard. The patriot act here in the states gives the government the right to view and track calls, emails, and so forth. Though it could be a false alarm it is possible. :s
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I hear you there. Look at the new chip they want in all cell phones in the US starting this year for government based SMS for terrorist threats and amber alerts. Wonder why it is gonna be connected to the GPS and phone mic?

I'm pretty confident that the government and to be more precise law enforcement have all right to keep track of you and your movements if they see fit.
In saying this though, most governments and once again to be more precise law enforcement will only track you and record your activities should you be doing activities that would force them to.
You aren't doing anything you shouldn't be doing are you?
PS I had to give my mobile number to an officer of the law the other day, to say the least I'm kind of paranoid that they will look through previous texts that I have sent which could be incriminating, but in saying this I'm more than happy to accept my fate should such predicament come to haunt me.
My point is that if you need to ensure you aren't being recorded or tracked, do your illegal activities on a phone which cannot be traced back to you.
Edit this image is relevant to this thread.
http://www.philzimmermann.com/images/TinFoilHatArea.jpg
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Any proof about this?

Do a search for Fema chips in cell phones and see.

zeekiz said:
I'm pretty confident that the government and to be more precise law enforcement have all right to keep track of you and your movements if they see fit.
In saying this though, most governments and once again to be more precise law enforcement will only track you and record your activities should you be doing activities that would force them to.
You aren't doing anything you shouldn't be doing are you?
PS I had to give my mobile number to an officer of the law the other day, to say the least I'm kind of paranoid that they will look through previous texts that I have sent which could be incriminating, but in saying this I'm more than happy to accept my fate should such predicament come to haunt me.
My point is that if you need to ensure you aren't being recorded or tracked, do your illegal activities on a phone which cannot be traced back to you.
Edit this image is relevant to this thread.
http://www.philzimmermann.com/images/TinFoilHatArea.jpg
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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To say if you are not doing anything wrong then you should not fear having no privacy in the eyes of the government and the law is dumb. People keep information other than criminal activites private for many reasons, And that has the potential for abuse or missuse by the wrong people. For example look at American presidential campaigns Quite often they have people digging up dirt on their rivals, quite often its inconsequential dirt, but the PR firms twist it and stretch it and convert it into a duststorm of contraversy, can you imagine how much easier that type of BS would be if one political contender / group had a supporter or supporters high up with access to this information? low risk move for them, and a goldmine for their marketing firms.

hungry81 said:
To say if you are not doing anything wrong then you should not fear having no privacy in the eyes of the government and the law is dumb. People keep information other than criminal activites private for many reasons, And that has the potential for abuse or missuse by the wrong people. For example look at American presidential campaigns Quite often they have people digging up dirt on their rivals, quite often its inconsequential dirt, but the PR firms twist it and stretch it and convert it into a duststorm of contraversy, can you imagine how much easier that type of BS would be if one political contender / group had a supporter or supporters high up with access to this information? low risk move for them, and a goldmine for their marketing firms.
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Agreed. Oh and while he is at it might as well tell all those people that died protecting freedom that they died for no reason because he doesn't care about his freedom of privacy.

zelendel said:
Agreed. Oh and while he is at it might as well tell all those people that died protecting freedom that they died for no reason because he doesn't care about his freedom of privacy.
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I wouldn't go as far as saying died for no reason, I agree with freedom of privacy, but I also believe more or less that they would be doing this pinging for our protection.

M_Nation said:
I wouldn't go as far as saying died for no reason, I agree with freedom of privacy, but I also believe more or less that they would be doing this pinging for our protection.
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I know that maybe a bit harsh but some of my freinds were those that stood up for our rights and freedom and for someone to say its OK for a government to remove that right rubs me wrong.
I would to if you were innocent until proven guilty but we all know that is not the case anymore. Now you are guilty until proven innocent.
I think the days of thinking that our government is out for the good of people is long over.

M_Nation said:
I wouldn't go as far as saying died for no reason, I agree with freedom of privacy, but I also believe more or less that they would be doing this pinging for our protection.
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Oh for my "protection" well thats okay then.
So whats your stance on carrier IQ then? after all its only sending information that will make our phone using experiance better, And from a safety issue SOPA and the Australian internet filter are brilliant, Means I can not access those nasty sites that will put me at risk, Just like in China. It does not stink of isolationisim and control at all. And all no one should want ANYTHING kept private if they are not breaking the law should they? Infact privacy breeds suscpicion. How about for everyones safety you post your private details and smses as well as your daily schedule so we know you are not going around consorting with terroists or drug dealers.

Anyone who would sacrifice liberty for security deserves neither.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

forget the government, they don't need to do anything.
all they need to do is contact Google and Apple.
they have us all under lock and key... in the name of convenience and technology.
we are all just bunch of *****es and whores.

Mainspring said:
forget the government, they don't need to do anything.
all they need to do is contact Google and Apple.
they have us all under lock and key... in the name of convenience and technology.
we are all just bunch of *****es and whores.
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Click to collapse
^^^^--- This.
Anyway, as far as being able to track you they would need probable cause to even begin to attempt to defend themselves if any government type decides to do this. At least enough to warrant a search a seizure. I don't know how the laws are outside of the states but I can imagine unless you're in a dictatorship or you live in a communist nation the laws are similar.
Higher-ups have always been able to do this, that's not the question. The question is the legitimacy of the situations that they decide to use their power.

LOL
I love you guys who born and grow up in the US. and Western part where democracy is practicing daily.
Coming off a communist country, I love freedom a lot but ......... if you do no harm to the nation, no harm to the country, no harm to the community and no harm to anybody, then you SHOULD NEVER worry about it.
If you say "Obama is suck and I hate him" you not gonna be jailed for that.
If you say "I hate white president and I never vote for those again", you not gonna be fined for that.
If you say "I just have sex with my g/f and she moans like crazy", they not gonna care to listen to your conversation.
But if you are up to something, potentially put the nation, commnunity at risk, yes, you are deserved to lock up for the rest of your life as the safety issue for the rest.
Period.

Yes a the moment the government can suboena Google or whoever and can get the info but at least there is a process to be followed paperwork and its all mostly in the open. So if this is the case why do they need to get this info via this chip? To me the potential for misuse outweighs the potential for safety removing a link in the chain does not nessicarily make the chain better or stronger
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda premium.

hungry81 said:
Yes a the moment the government can suboena Google or whoever and can get the info but at least there is a process to be followed paperwork and its all mostly in the open. So if this is the case why do they need to get this info via this chip? To me the potential for misuse outweighs the potential for safety removing a link in the chain does not nessicarily make the chain better or stronger
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda premium.
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Look at all the articles about how carriers gave the FBI an open ticket to their systems. The government has been doing unwarrented wire taps for years now in the name of security which is BS.
As for the previous comment no you don't get in trouble for things like that but let me tell you a true story about a buddy of mine.
He and his girlfreind got into an argument where she made up lies about how he said he would kill her for threating to run away with their child. The cops find him on a bus leaving state. Tosses him in jail for 4 weeks until he sees a judge as their is no bail in the state for demestic issues. Then he get 6 months probation and has to pay $4000 in fines. Cant go to trial as she cant be found. Now he has assault on his record and is having trouble finding work as all it says is ASSAULT nothing else. All for words he never said. But even if he had it was still just words. Nothing more. No history of violence. Just an empty threat.
Yeah freedom right. Guilty until proven innocent

Wow, never heard this until now

[conspiracy theory] the government can tap phones even when on stand by....

Few days ago I was involved in a conversation where couple of people were sure that the government can tap our phones even when not in conversation but when they are actually in stand by on the table.
I tried to argue that when in stand by, android for example has very minimal processes going on, just enough to keep the time and realize when the power button is pressed or send notification.
The counter-argument was that there might be backdoors in the ROM for example which enables the authorities to get sound from the mic directly without the need of the OS as an interface.
I don't see how this can be done, but you as developers might want to provide some solid, technical arguments which would set the discussion once at for all

I guess if you're really that worried about it, there's always airplane mode.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

Worried about monitoring using a google/facebook/twitter device?
Pull some foil off your hat, and wrap it around the phone. Problem solved.
Just do what Eric says "Do no Evil" and who cares if the gummint is watching you!

I'm not worried at all as should be obvious if you actually read my post :>

Fking1 said:
I don't see how this can be done, but you as developers might want to provide some solid, technical arguments which would set the discussion once at for all
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Well, I'm no developer but if you are going to lurk deeper on backdoors, you'll soon find out that bigger corporations than Gooogle have implemented backdoors in their systems.
Still, this doesn't tell you how it's done, but proofs that has been done and afaics is no problem to do it again.
If I remember correctly some time ago Indian government tried to force BlackBerry to backdoor their devices for Indian market.
So judge it for yourself, but don't think that this is some Atlantis conspiracy but is actually happening all over the place..

B33zal said:
Well, I'm no developer but if you are going to lurk deeper on backdoors, you'll soon find out that bigger corporations than Gooogle have implemented backdoors in their systems.
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Care to elaborate?
Also it will be enough if someone says why it's impossible to pull audio from the mic when the phone is on standby

In all actuality if the gumment wanted to monitor you they already are....

Fking1 said:
Care to elaborate?
Also it will be enough if someone says why it's impossible to pull audio from the mic when the phone is on standby
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It's not impossible. Don't brick your head with such things. And why is that question anyway? Do you affraid that you can get caught?
If you are not doin anything against the law, after a while they would not even listen to you

chaki- said:
It's not impossible. Don't brick your head with such things. And why is that question anyway? Do you affraid that you can get caught?
If you are not doin anything against the law, after a while they would not even listen to you
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Click to collapse
well to be honest, i'm big time criminal in my country, so the answer to that question is critical to me :>

Fking1 said:
I tried to argue that when in stand by, android for example has very minimal processes going on, just enough to keep the time and realize when the power button is pressed or send notification.
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Click to collapse
Just because a listening device is not always on doesn't mean it doesn't exist. A single push notification can activate a hidden app or feature, should a government have installed it.
Indeed, there are "lost phone" apps on the market that let you do similar things (though I'm not sure about listening in per se, more like gps, alarm sound, take photos).

so, it's technically possible?

Fking1 said:
so, it's technically possible?
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It is possible and google patented an ad technique that involved using the microphone to listen for background noises and words to produce better more personalised ad results but haven't implemented it yet.
Also you can remotely activate phone features as well as push data to a phone so yes it could be done but they would need at least an app installed on your phone to do so.
So unless you allow someone to install hidden apps on your phone there's no chance of it.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2

Interesting.
What if the government forces Google, Apple and Rim to leave such backdoors accessible by them?
Android is open source but the kernel is not as far as i know?

Fking1 said:
Interesting.
What if the government forces Google, Apple and Rim to leave such backdoors accessible by them?
Android is open source but the kernel is not as far as i know?
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Click to collapse
even if thats the case: just flash an own kernel like we all do.
i don't think there's something in android, because it's open source. someone would see that..
and the kernel problem is solved when you flash another one i guess
but those normal ppl out there.. the weird ones who doesn't flash their devices, they are ****ed then. xP

but are the kernels we flash open source? I guess even with custom ROM you use the default google kernel, since if it haven't been open source in the first place, i don't think anyone has written it from scratch.
The more important question is, can something like this be hidden in the kernel, or it needs to run in the OS as normal, but hidden app?

Fking1 said:
Care to elaborate?
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Click to collapse
NSAKEY. I'd post links but I can't.

B33zal said:
NSAKEY. I'd post links but I can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NSAKEY?
post them sripped or PM me

Is it possible? Yes is it likely? No. At least in the US they would need to prove you were a threat to national security to get a judge to sign off on it.
The android kernel is open source completely.
As an example there is a root binary that grants root access without user prompt or notification of any kind. So while it can be done I would not worry about it much.
FEMA chip anyone?
Sent for a corner cell in Arkham

dmhdogpro said:
In all actuality if the gumment wanted to monitor you they already are....
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Click to collapse
Bingo
I do not worry about my Government, if they want me they
will come and get me (and I won't be able to stop them)
It is my fellow citizens whom scare me the most.

B33zal said:
Well, I'm no developer but if you are going to lurk deeper on backdoors, you'll soon find out that bigger corporations than Gooogle have implemented backdoors in their systems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is true and some EULAs even suggest that there is no privacy on the data commited to the systems. Simple software we use daily (specially in the MS Windows world) is gathering info about what data you search, what you download, what kinda documents you type, etc. Even cloud storage services have a EULA that guarantee you no privacy (Box, Dropbox, Google drive, etc)
As for Android, I highly doubt the problem lies in the operating system, since it is open source and anyone can take a look at it.
Now if you want a conspiracy theory, then read on...
Have you guys noticed how many of the browsers in Play Store are from chinese developers? Specially Dolphin, which many of you adore. Who can tell it isn't secretly sending your browsing habits to the Chinese government? How many people have been sniffing traffic to/from Dolphin (using tcpdump, for instance) to make sure it isn't doing other things?
Chrome (and Chromium) is another example: most people simply have to access their google accounts from these browsers. These browsers effectively send private user data to google. The question here is: how is google making use of such data and who is it sharing it with (for a profit or not)???
It's almost a paradox that in the information age we are more and more willing to have privacy but we have never shared so much of their personal lives with so many as we do now. Take, for instance, Facebook, Google+, Twitter,
I could go on and on... but I gotta some wifi sniffing to do right now and some wardriving later.

[Q] Live stream + record audio/video for police encounters?

Does anyone know of an app that can record video and upload it to a cloud/server at the same time? That way, if you use said app to record a police officer breaking the law, and then they take and smash your phone, it would be too late for them, because the recording (minus whatever few-second buffer the app had) would already be uploaded and online?

moeburn said:
Does anyone know of an app that can record video and upload it to a cloud/server at the same time? That way, if you use said app to record a police officer breaking the law, and then they take and smash your phone, it would be too late for them, because the recording (minus whatever few-second buffer the app had) would already be uploaded and online?
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Having read your signature, I'm tempted to tell you to search.
Having seen that you have been a member here for 14 months and have never once thanked another member, I'm tempted to tell you where to go.
I will simply point out that an application capable of doing this would be highly illegal in many places, of which I am sure America is one, as you can't record someone without informing them of the fact first.

SimonTS said:
Having read your signature, I'm tempted to tell you to search.
Having seen that you have been a member here for 14 months and have never once thanked another member, I'm tempted to tell you where to go.
I will simply point out that an application capable of doing this would be highly illegal in many places, of which I am sure America is one, as you can't record someone without informing them of the fact first.
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I wouldn't be asking if I hadn't searched first.
How on earth can you tell if I have never thanked another member? Have you read every single post I have ever made? In fact, I make it a point of mine to thank people for their time, for even bothering to read my post and give an answer, even if the answer is not helpful to me in anyway, for every positive suggestion anyone tries to make, provided they are not hostile.
edit: oh, I see, you mean I've never pressed the thank "button". Well then, I guess that means I'm an ungrateful, selfish bastard, doesn't it?
I'm not sure how an auto-uploading application itself would be illegal. But if what you meant to say was that it might be illegal to video record people, I'm not sure about the law in the USA, but I'll tell you what it is here in Canada:
- You can record anything, and anyone, without anyone's permission, as long as its in a public place, excluding public pools, gyms, schools and daycares. The general rule of thumb is that you can record anything that is outside or on the street.
- Your right to video record in a private establishment/business is at the discretion of the business owner/management.
- You can record the police, as long as you are not getting in their way while you do it
- You CAN record someone, in public, without informing them of the fact, but...
- You cannot distribute or publish videos of people without their prior written consent, or without obscuring their face and making it impossible to identify the person
Thanks for your time, for reading my post, and for replying!

moeburn said:
I wouldn't be asking if I hadn't searched first.
How on earth can you tell if I have never thanked another member? Have you read every single post I have ever made?
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Because your user profile tells me you have never thanked anyone.....
moeburn said:
I'm not sure how an auto-uploading application itself would be illegal. But if what you meant to say was that it might be illegal to video record people, I'm not sure about the law in the USA, but I'll tell you what it is in Canada:
- You can record anything, and anyone, without anyone's permission, as long as its in a public place, excluding public pools, gyms, schools and daycares. The general rule of thumb is that you can record anything that is outside or on the street.
- Your right to video record in a private establishment/business is at the discretion of the business owner/management.
- You can record the police, as long as you are not getting in their way while you do it
- You cannot distribute or publish videos of people without their prior written consent, or without obscuring their face and making it impossible to identify the person
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Nice to know that Canada has such liberal laws. I still can't get my head round why you would be expecting to require such an app unless you are planning to bait somebody?
Regardless, the data that would be consumed by such an app would be massive even if there was one available. Your best bet might be to look at one of those child-monitor type of apps which can run on a remote computer and use your phones camera to record from, but yet again without a wireless connection the date usage will be horrendous.

SimonTS said:
Because your user profile tells me you have never thanked anyone.....
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Right, I've never clicked the 'thank' button. I make it a point to actually type out a thankyou message; it feels much more human and personal than simply clicking a button to raise a numerical counter. I wasn't aware it was such an important button, do people get prizes for having the most # of thanks or something?
SimonTS said:
Nice to know that Canada has such liberal laws. I still can't get my head round why you would be expecting to require such an app unless you are planning to bait somebody?
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Actually, we have much more conservative laws in Canada when it comes to the police. We have no miranda rights. We have no "fruit from a poisoned tree" laws. Any evidence obtained with illegal means is admissable in court unless successfully challenged in a separate trial that the citizen themselves must initiate and pay for. We have a right to a lawyer, but that right doesn't mean anything, because if a person's accessibility to a lawyer was obstructed, there is no effect on the case or court proceedings whatsoever. And as far as I know, even in the USA, there are only a select few states that do not allow filming police, and then most of those say that you can film the police provided you do not record audio as well.
I'm honestly not planning on baiting any police. But I've been intentionally rammed and nearly run over while I was on a bicycle, by a cop car, because I couldn't get my headphones out fast enough to hear what they were saying. I've had a cop threaten to shoot my dog, because it was barking too much, even though it was on a leash and restrained. My female friends have, on more than one occasion, been stopped by police for petty things (jaywalking, public drunkenness, etc), and then told that they'll drop the charges if they "thank" the officer... These types of things need to be recorded for there to be any accountability.
SimonTS said:
Regardless, the data that would be consumed by such an app would be massive even if there was one available. Your best bet might be to look at one of those child-monitor type of apps which can run on a remote computer and use your phones camera to record from, but yet again without a wireless connection the date usage will be horrendous.
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Yeah, I'm aware that even a few minutes of video can rack up several hundred mB of data. But with a well sized data plan, and turning the video resolution down as low as it can go, the data wouldn't be too massive, and besides, even if I have to pay an extra $20 to upload it, I don't plan on doing it every day, it would be worth the cost for the few occasions where it would be needed. Thanks for the suggestion about the baby-monitor app, I'll look into that.

moeburn said:
Right, I've never clicked the 'thank' button. I make it a point to actually type out a thankyou message; it feels much more human and personal than simply clicking a button to raise a numerical counter. I wasn't aware it was such an important button, do people get prizes for having the most # of thanks or something?
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Click to collapse
Actually, the 'Thanks' meter does two things;-
1) It shows other members how useful to the XDA society someone is - which can also be helpful if you are working out whether to trust the advice they have given you
2) It stops threads being filled up with "Thanks", "Cheers dude", "Great work" etc posts which just waste space and bump threads for no good reason, also making it take longer to actually search for meaningful information.
moeburn said:
Actually, we have much more conservative laws in Canada when it comes to the police. We have no miranda rights. We have no "fruit from a poisoned tree" laws. Any evidence obtained with illegal means is admissable in court unless successfully challenged in a separate trial that the citizen themselves must initiate and pay for. We have a right to a lawyer, but that right doesn't mean anything, because if a person's accessibility to a lawyer was obstructed, there is no effect on the case or court proceedings whatsoever. And as far as I know, even in the USA, there are only a select few states that do not allow filming police, and then most of those say that you can film the police provided you do not record audio as well.
I'm honestly not planning on baiting any police. But I've been intentionally rammed and nearly run over while I was on a bicycle, by a cop car, because I couldn't get my headphones out fast enough to hear what they were saying. I've had a cop threaten to shoot my dog, because it was barking too much, even though it was on a leash and restrained. My female friends have, on more than one occasion, been stopped by police for petty things (jaywalking, public drunkenness, etc), and then told that they'll drop the charges if they "thank" the officer... These types of things need to be recorded for there to be any accountability.
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Three examples in there;-
1) The dog one - yes, you might well have been able to get your phone out in time to record, but I suspect the cop might well have changed his tone if you tried that. If a cop tried that with my dog I'd probably have ripped his head off for it though.
2) You friends jaywalking and drunk in public - the cop was out of order with those comments, but I doubt your friends would have been in any fit state to try and get a phone out, run an app etc, and the cop would probably not have been stupid enough to repeat the comment on film
3) If you were riding with your headphones on then firstly you wouldn't have been able to get your phone out, and secondly you should have been arrested and had your bike and whatever you were listening to music on taken away from you. Idiots who ride bikes while listening to music cannot hear what is going on around them and frequently cause accidents as a direct result of not being aware of their surroundings. I have no sympathy with this one at all - you would, to my mind, have deserved everything you got for being so damn stupid and inconsiderate of other people
moeburn said:
Yeah, I'm aware that even a few minutes of video can rack up several hundred mB of data. But with a well sized data plan, and turning the video resolution down as low as it can go, the data wouldn't be too massive, and besides, even if I have to pay an extra $20 to upload it, I don't plan on doing it every day, it would be worth the cost for the few occasions where it would be needed. Thanks for the suggestion about the baby-monitor app, I'll look into that.
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The baby-monitor app is going to be no good for you as it would need to be permanently connected. Much better to just get one of those mini 'spy' cameras with an SD-card and rolling record facility and make sure it isn't clearly visible.

Am I Being Spied Upon by the Government?

I got a samsung S3. At times I notice the status bar change different colors and flash weird letters. It almost looks alien like. This happens like twice a week. Could this be the government spying on me?

yahanna said:
I got a samsung S3. At times I notice the status bar change different colors and flash weird letters. It almost looks alien like. This happens like twice a week. Could this be the government spying on me?
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I guess its not about government spying as if a government spies it does via network so it does affect the hardware or phone software.
can you post screenshot?

yahanna said:
I got a samsung S3. At times I notice the status bar change different colors and flash weird letters. It almost looks alien like. This happens like twice a week. Could this be the government spying on me?
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Maybe you should wrap your Galaxy S3 in aluminum foil. That should prevent alien attacks, at least.

Do you not watch the news? The government is spying on us all. Congress knows about it. The judicial branch says it is ok and the Executive just doesn't care.

Its only because you rooted your device and was put in a watch list.... Government doesn't like not having control... [emoji12]

One way to be sure you are bing watch is if you ever notice light aircraft or helicopters in your area then you can be sure the have seen you. If you look at them and they fly off then they have notice you have seen them are are trying to be inconspicuous. Never go outside without a tinfoil hat. You can hide one easily under a top hat or cowboy hat, even a bowlers hat.

We all gonna dieeeeeeeeeee!

Nonsense, the only people spying on your phone is the Illuminati, They're watching us all...
Sent from my HP Slate 7 using XDA Free mobile app

@SidDev said:
I guess its not about government spying as if a government spies it does via network so it does affect the hardware or phone software.
can you post screenshot?
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It flashes so fast that I got no time to take a screenshot. I wish though.
jasonmerc said:
Maybe you should wrap your Galaxy S3 in aluminum foil. That should prevent alien attacks, at least.
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Maybe you should wrap your head in concrete. That should prevent people noticing you.
Festrada007 said:
One way to be sure you are bing watch is if you ever notice light aircraft or helicopters in your area then you can be sure the have seen you. If you look at them and they fly off then they have notice you have seen them are are trying to be inconspicuous. Never go outside without a tinfoil hat. You can hide one easily under a top hat or cowboy hat, even a bowlers hat.
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Click to collapse
One way to be sure youre a paranoid troll with tendencies to harm women is if you post comments like this, people like myself will reply with comments like mine. If you look at them and they dont look at you, it explaims why youre angry at them. Never try to talk to them. You'll only end up being rejected and as a result, more angry.
nobe1976 said:
Its only because you rooted your device and was put in a watch list.... Government doesn't like not having control... [emoji12]
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My phone isn't rooted yet. Youre right about the government though.

In first world countries this is an issue, yet I cannot say that this is very true for all classes of countries, namely 3rd world countries.
I am sensitive that NSA surveillance in the US does overlap the barriers of privacy and security, as the main operators are humans and not machines, yet I do not confirm this is true, this is just speculation. They can choose to cross those barriers without us even noticing them.
However in regards to being spied upon by the government, it will go as far only as you'd let them get information. I have simulated your errors by means of Network Security testing, and yes I am a Network Admin and simulate stealing information. What i can say is this, if the government uses technology by means of any frequency via Wifi, Bluetooh, GPS, etc and you have these on, then you have to be extra careful. Most tracking agencies do not leave the spying to machines, they do it themselves and can choose to go beyond stealing your "Intellectual Rights" so to speak.
I also have Hardbricked and soft-bricked devices in my simulations. But what I can is that you should be responsible for gathering facts and truths about this matter. It is foolish to speculate upon the government without knowing of the tools that they use in acquiring private information.
I hope my article has helped you, and i do wish this thread is closed as it is.

yahanna said:
It flashes so fast that I got no time to take a screenshot.
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try airplane mode for a while and see if it stop
if it does you are right
if it continues in airplane mode also its hardware or software problem.
BTW I am happy Indian government doesn't spy like you people.

This thread is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh, OP.

@SidDev said:
BTW I am happy Indian government doesn't spy like you people.
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BUT MAYBE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK!!!!!!
yahanna said:
Maybe you should wrap your head in concrete. That should prevent people noticing you.
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Will try. Thanks for the heads up.
Sent from my HTC Rezound using XDA Free mobile app

Planterz said:
This thread is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh, OP.
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You sound like a nerd.
jasonmerc said:
Will try. Thanks for the heads up.
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Youre a weirdo.

yahanna said:
Ha ha ha... no.
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The truth is that you ARE being spied upon by the government. The FBI, CIA, TSA, and NSA are SO incompetent in their spy work that their spying causes graphical glitches on your phone. These glitches are caused by the syncing with the NFC chip that was injected into you the least time you got a shot at the doctor's office. You only noticed these glitches because there weren't enough pacifying hallucinogens in the atmosphere spread by the gubment in those inexplicable chemtrails you see crisscrossing the air above you.
Because, obviously, someone of such incredible genius such as yourself is of extreme interest by the government's top intelligence and law enforcement agencies that they'll spend tens of thousands of dollars in tech, equipment, and man-hours to monitor 24/7.
Or maybe there's just a software or hardware glitch in your phone.
---------- Post added at 06:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 AM ----------
Oh, and since you posted this on a public forum (searchable by Google and other search engines), the government knows their cover has been blown. Expect a team of "cleaners" to arrive soon.

jasonmerc said:
BUT MAYBE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK!!!!!!
Will try. Thanks for the heads up.
Sent from my HTC Rezound using XDA Free mobile app
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nope
its not like the us government

@SidDev said:
nope
its not like the us government
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They don't need to. The US, UK, Pakistani, and Chinese governments already spy on India enough.

I work for a large telephony company. In the US, if the government was spying on you, you wouldn't know about it. There's actually regulations built around how they spy on you, called CALEA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act)
Basically, the telephone company has a security group whose job is to receive CALEA requests, and essentially they fork your call into a 3 way call whenever you make/receive anything. That's how modern wiretapping works. No one outside of that group is legally allowed to know anything about it. It doesn't show up in call signalling.
As for the wide-spread stuff that the NSA was grabbing, they're grabbing "call metadata" so essentially the signaling information, and CDRS (call detail records). It's not the same thing as a wiretap, but you can still get a lot of information out of it.

msarro said:
I work for a large telephony company. In the US, if the government was spying on you, you wouldn't know about it. There's actually regulations built around how they spy on you, called CALEA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act)
Basically, the telephone company has a security group whose job is to receive CALEA requests, and essentially they fork your call into a 3 way call whenever you make/receive anything. That's how modern wiretapping works. No one outside of that group is legally allowed to know anything about it. It doesn't show up in call signalling.
As for the wide-spread stuff that the NSA was grabbing, they're grabbing "call metadata" so essentially the signaling information, and CDRS (call detail records). It's not the same thing as a wiretap, but you can still get a lot of information out of it.
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There are also "taps" or pass through skimmers at a lot of the data pipes throughout the country.
SSL should cover this, but SSL is so freaking broken its not even funny
Sent from my m7spr

But all jokes aside ('bout time someone took this half-seriously besides SidDev), I would try getting a stock firmware image and just flash that through ODIN. Doing this will erase your data, so make a backup of anything you really care about. I remember my old Rugby Smart had an issue where if the device was off and I plugged it into the wall socket to charge, it would say there was no battery inserted. However there was one inserted, and it would charge just fine if it was on. I just flashed back to stock firmware through ODIN and it fixed the issue.
If it still persists after flashing through ODIN, then it is probably a hardware issue. Unfortunately, I am not as experienced with hardware-related issues, so I wont be able to help with that if that is what it comes down to.
SidDev is right. It is either a software or hardware relates issue. Although the gubmit is spying on you (n' all of us as well), it wouldn't cause anything like that. If anything, the gubmit WOULDN'T want the phone to show weird signs, because that would make you suspicious..
Sent from my MB855 using XDA Free mobile app