Database Info

Trust Google Drive??

http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/tech-news/google-drive-licence-agreement.html
Gets u thinking actually. :-\
Sent from my epic touch with plenty of ICS treats to go around!

Wow that's crazy, will uninstall it now !
Thanks for the link !

You should probably read this. http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/25/2973849/google-drive-terms-privacy-data-skydrive-dropbox-icloud

Don't believe the hype. They need to have permission to use your content to provide services that process, index, copy to servers, translate, display, etc...anything they do to provide the service needs to be covered in legalese.
The part they gloss over in the "be very afraid" blog posts and articles is that "The rights that you grant in this licence are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting and improving our Services, and to develop new ones."
They also don't mention that the associated privacy policy that also governs how your information is used explicitly states that your personal information is not used for purposes outside that policy without your consent.
http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
But if anyone is worried at all about keeping their data in the "cloud," they should honestly trust no one. Unless they are encrypting your data before storing it, all the services need the same permissions...Dropbox, iCloud, etc...
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/25/2973849/google-drive-terms-privacy-data-skydrive-dropbox-icloud
Everyone can make their own choice, but I'm not concerned. I wouldn't keep truly sensitive materials in ANY unencrypted repository. For everything else, these solutions are mighty convenient and secure enough for me.

Unprompted install, exfiltration route
So Drive is now on my device although I never asked to install and never even heard of it until I saw it as an active task. com.google.android.apps.docs
Now we have an unprompted install that provides a direct connection to Google docs without prompting for login credentials. (It is apparently using the login for gmail as a universal login).
So without any action on their part or any notice, a user's entire Google Docs can exfiltrated by compromising their phone. Nice.
It is so easy for a user to get taken by accident. Many don't know that when they preview attachments in gmail they can go to Google Docs and they certainly won't know about Google Drive on their Android as it doesn't even drop an icon during an unprompted install.

Drama much in here?
You're already using an Android device, which is linked with your Google account. Google recently updated their Privacy Policies so that it is now the same across the board. Your Gmail account has the same Policy as your Google+ account, your Youtube account, your Google Voice account, your Google Reader account, and (wait for it....) your Google Drive account. If you're okay with the policy as it applies to the content stored in your email, why is the policy as it relates to file and document storage an issue?
And, as has been mentioned in posts referencing the Verge article, the file storage policies are pretty much the same with the other major cloud storage providers - iCloud, Windows SkyDrive, Dropbox, etc. Your data remains your data, and nothing will be done to disclose it.
As for an "unprompted install", I'm going to guess that you previously had Google Docs installed. When Drive went public, it was also announced that it was essentially a continuation of Docs - an update, if you will. When you installed the Docs update from the Play Store, you automatically got Drive. Congratulations.
If your phone gets compromised, the bad guy would have access to a lot of juicy data in addition to just your Google Docs. Your Dropbox, for instance, would be unprotected. As would your Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, work email, Latitude history, Google+ posts, stored passwords in your Browser, etc. Let's look at this realistically and not just panic over a sensationalized story.

Hi, i'm in Italy and i speak quite well english, i have to say I'm using google drive from 6 days ago and I've never had any problem with my files so i Trust and if u saw the last internet privacy policy of google in the begin of 2012 we should have saw they don't computing or manipulate our file, simple check the integrity of the sequence of bit stored in the cloud... sorry for my totaly bad english, I hope I was helpful... thanks for consider my post...

[APP][BETA] Wifi Based Social App

Hello everyone, new here at XDA forums and just trying to get some feedback from the community on a project I have been working on. This application is not done, but I do think that *most* of the main features are in place and its a good time to get some feedback on the UI and maybe more importantly the overall idea behind the application. Basically this app will connect anyone who is connected to the same wifi network. I think this will be cool in large places that share one wifi network, like a college campus, large office buildings, etc.. When you are connected, the app calls it a "zone", so, when you are in a zone with other users, you can live chat with any other user in the zone, and there is also a public board where any user can make posts (images & text). When you make a post, you are able to see how many views that your post has gotten, and exactly who has viewed the post, which is something people may like, I want you guys to be the judge of this though. Please, play around with it, send me a chat message in the app if you'd like, my name is "Dylan Rose", you will be able to just click my name and send a message.
Something you may be wondering is, if this app only lets users interact when they are connected to the same wifi network, how are we going to interact right now? Good question. I have the app set up in debug mode right now so the system thinks that any user who signs in is in one zone called "Test - Zone", so if you see that in your toolbar after you sign in, you're in the right place! :good:
Overall, let me know in your experience, will people want to use this app? I see it being used in larger areas like college campuses where lots of people are connected to the same network, but I want you guys to be the judge of that, so let me know!
Link to the APK: wikisend.com/download/519920/app-debug.apk
Cant thank you guys enough for trying this out and leaving me with some feedback!
This application does use a Google API to allow you to sign in with any google account. All I actually use is
Display Name
Profile Photo
User ID
GCM-ID (To send push notifications, when you get a chat message)
This application also uses the persmissions
INTERNET
CHANGE_WIFI_STATE
GET_ACCOUNTS
USE_CREDENTIALS (credentials actually used described above)
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (Used to store photos when you take a photo in-app)
READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (used to grab a photo that you would like to include in a post)
CAMERA (Used to take a photo in-app that you would like to include in your post)
RECEIVE (Receive GCM push notifications)
C2D_MESSAGE (Receive GCM Push notifications)
Tried to post some screenshots but since I'm a newer user here at this forum I was not allowed to post outside links!

I might try it
This sounds like something that would be fun for a business or school environment. My question: what do the following permissions do:
find accounts on the device
use accounts on the device
I'm concerned of course that this app which isn't vetted yet by anyone, might be doing something I don't want it to do.

Permission concern
kettir said:
This sounds like something that would be fun for a business or school environment. My question: what do the following permissions do:
find accounts on the device
use accounts on the device
I'm concerned of course that this app which isn't vetted yet by anyone, might be doing something I don't want it to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! Thanks for taking the time to check out my description. As for the accounts permissions that this application uses: The app lets users sign in via google account. In order to use googles sign-in API, I did need to use these permission in my manifest. The find accounts is used when you first click the login button, a dialog of the google accounts that you have linked to your device show up, and you choose which one you would like to sign in to the app with. The use accounts is for allowing my application to know some general data about the account that you sign in with, these include your Display name, Account photo, and your user id.
Please let me know if you have any further concerns, and I look forward to hearing what you think of the app!
Thanks again,
-Dylan R.

What are the repercussions of removing contacts provider in Android?

Personally I think the contacts provider (and other providers)in Android is a huge security risk. Every app and it's brother wants full access to your contacts so they can mine them for usable information. This can be just to add easy links to friends or to spam them with advertisements or offers to identity theft.
I've started using a pim manager that does not access Androids contact provider, calendar provider , tasks or other providers in it's operations.(And I really wish it was open source)
I have already removed the Google sync apks from my device and have removed contacts, calendar in the past. But not the providers.
It might cause some badly written apps to crash.
But I can't forsee any other serious problems.
Ideas? Thoughts?

Honestly sounds like a good idea..
Myself I decided to go for a while without any gapps and any other "store" installed on my phone.
My contacts are imported from a .vcf file which i update manually when needed.
I also have installed AFWall+ and i blocked the internet access to pretty much all the other apps including the system ones.. (everything i could get away with basically )
This could be a solution as well but it's rudimentary one at the moment.
nutpants said:
Personally I think the contacts provider (and other providers)in Android is a huge security risk. Every app and it's brother wants full access to your contacts so they can mine them for usable information. This can be just to add easy links to friends or to spam them with advertisements or offers to identity theft.
I've started using a pim manager that does not access Androids contact provider, calendar provider , tasks or other providers in it's operations.(And I really wish it was open source)
I have already removed the Google sync apks from my device and have removed contacts, calendar in the past. But not the providers.
It might cause some badly written apps to crash.
But I can't forsee any other serious problems.
Ideas? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I already don't have Google apps on my device.
Everything blocked with afwall+ using profiles so things only get net when I'm using them on the net.
Fdroid is where I get 90% of my software and from the internet for much of the other 10%
I have a old phone with nothing on it personal at all. Which has play store for the 3 or 4 paid apps I need, it does updates for them and a few free ones. I copy the apks over to my daily driver.
I constantly hound developers on play store to support offline devices and not to implement features that break the app when there is no internet. Even app I don't use lol.
(I have 2 tablets and far too many old phones.only two devices are online(some are local lan only))
Someone should start a offline foundation. But being online it might be ridiculous..

I too removed contacts by using /system/app mover from f-droid. It was unintended as I wanted them as a user application but they wouldn't work like this and the icon vanished, that was fine with me for a long time. The other day I wanted contacts for signal (and telegram also won't work without them). I restored the application files from a backup,
For reference in /system/app/ the missing files were
SecContacts.apk
SecContactsProvider.apk
Other contacts programs like Simple Contacts can't run without a system permission called com.android.contacts and without those files in /system/app the permission doesn't get created at boot. The result being that no contact creation is possible.
What I would really like is a modified version of the system app that passes contacts data to the calling program depending on individual contact entry permissions with regard to each calling app; one list for telegram, another for signal etc. I gather that recent android versions above 6.0.0 have functionality to check calling application certificates so something along these lines should be possible. For earlier versions it might be necessary to switch between multiple contacts databases before starting the messaging app and also removing it from the autoboot list.
https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/permissions/defining

Whatsapp data backup with 1 year storage capability

I need a software which can provide the following services:
1. Store backup data of at least past 1 year of whatsapp.
2. Formatting of entire whatapp in a couple of minutes on my phone Samsung Galaxy Note 4
3. Better usage of sending messages without any freezing issue.
If any 1 can provide me these 3 options in a software I would be really grateful and I am even ready to make the payment if some 1 has already made any software as such and I can purchase it after seeing. Note: I don't want to root my phone. I want to use this software without rooting my phone. So suggest me only if it doesn't need rooting

WhatsApp users on Android will soon be able to backup their messages, images and videos on Google Drive. This feature was in testing for months and was only available on certain WhatsApp versions. Just yesterday, Google announced the integration of WhatsApp with its cloud storage service on Google Drive Blog.

I had a moment of doubt whether I'm on the wrong page of the forum when reading OP and the above reply. Not sure if it differs from country to country, but Google Drive backup for Whatsapp has been available for over a year, and as far as I've noticed, it does not occupy your default Google Drive storage capacities and does not have a said limit for media files. For messages, Whatsapp backups always contain the entirety of your message history, no matter since how many years ago. They exist both on your local backup (/sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases) and Google Drive backup, if enabled.
As suggested by @damponting44, there was a Google Drive Blog post about it, but instead of yesterday, it was posted on October 7 2015.
To "format" Whatsapp, I assume you mean clearing of data completely. You can already accomplish this on Android and an app is unnecessary.
To reset the app's data, go to the Settings app of your phone -> Apps menu -> Find Whatsapp -> Press Clear Data and confirm.
To clear other data such as voice, media and local backups, use a File Manager and delete the entire /Whatsapp/ folder.
Lag or freezing issues rely on the app itself and the capabilities of your phone. Using one app over another usually only results in increased resource usage and would not solve the mentioned problem. That usage scenario is often only selected for feature / customisation enhancements, such as bots or themes. It's best to check if you have issues in your system, if there are too many background apps occupying RAM, etc. to make your foreground app, i.e. Whatsapp run smoother.
An app is unnecessary for all 3 requests you brought up, and it is unlikely one would be developed for those purposes.

Can the work profile have access to my browsing history, device files, etc.?

I was recently admitted to a company, and as an ease of accessing my e-mails and work schedule, the android "work profile" was made available so that I could have access to company information (such as e-mails, calendar, information and others) without having to receive a corporate cell phone.
However, my biggest concern is with the organization's access to my data. My organization that created the work profile, can have access to my browsing history, data on the device (such as photos, application files, etc.), time I spend using my cell phone, contacts, call logs, and other data personal profile?
I have already visited the google instructions page, but I was still unsure because my organization installed some network certificates and the warning "Your organization can monitor network traffic ..."
Another question:
If I leave a work profile app open in the background, and use my personal profile at the same time, can my organization have access to network traffic and consequently my personal information?
All questions, however redundant, are intended to clarify the details of the organization's access to my personal information
From now on, I am immensely grateful for the help and time you spent reading my questions.

You are holding a phone in your hands for which an organization has concluded a data plan contract and is paying for it. They therefore will have a legitimate interest in the network traffic on this device, unless it is a contract for unlimted bandwidth. Network traffic is triggered by apps / services , which can actually be read out: they simply have to install a HTTP/S proxy what is intercepting the HTTP/S traffic on any app housed on the phone.

jwoegerbauer said:
You are holding a phone in your hands for which an organization has concluded a data plan contract and is paying for it. They therefore will have a legitimate interest in the network traffic on this device, unless it is a contract for unlimted bandwidth. Network traffic is triggered by apps / services , which can actually be read out: they simply have to install a HTTP/S proxy what is intercepting the HTTP/S traffic on any app housed on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is mine, and there is no plan
of internet hired by the company.
It's my personal cell phone, and for me to get
view emails and talk to people from
within the organization, I had to enable
the "work profile".
So I had my personal and work profile
on my personal device.
My question is: my company can see
my personal files and my online activity
in the "PERSONAL PROFILE"?

Fred964 said:
The phone is mine, and there is no plan
of internet hired by the company.
It's my personal cell phone, and for me to get
view emails and talk to people from
within the organization, I had to enable
the "work profile".
So I had my personal and work profile
on my personal device.
My question is: my company can see
my personal files and my online activity
in the "PERSONAL PROFILE"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I created a second user on my phone named "Company".
If I do this it asks me if I wan't to turn on phone calls and SMS and then warns that
Call and SMS history will be shared with this user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense, since I (as the owner) can decide whether or not other users of my phone can access that data.
I tried to access owners files via filemanager from "Company" account. I couldn't see anything.
I tried the same but via adb using a root shell -> I had full access to owners files.
Owner has a VPN active. I tried to access that VPN from within "Company". Didn't work.
Tried to access apps from within "Company" -> no luck.
Checked settings -> some are gone, some aren't. E.g. I can see my paired devices (paired from owner) when I'm in "Company" account.
Soo, to answer your question:
Fred964 said:
My organization that created the work profile, can have access to my browsing history, data on the device (such as photos, application files, etc.), time I spend using my cell phone, contacts, call logs, and other data personal profile?
I have already visited the google instructions page, but I was still unsure because my organization installed some network certificates and the warning "Your organization can monitor network traffic ..."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Access to browsing history, data, contacts? No.
Time spend? I don't know but in battery usage settings I can see how much battery has been used by the owner account.
Call logs? Yes, If you accepted that.
Your language? Yes.
About certificates: I don't know excactly what they do (I figured if you turn them off your device cannot connect to the internet anymore if that certificate is needed for that connection attempt) but you can go to Security -> Encryption & credentials -> Trusted credentials and turn them off while your in your personal account.
However: One questions remains: Does the profile your company created somehow differ from the one you can create manually via settings? I don't think so, so above things should be valid.
If that's an option you could also ask your company directly (even though I can understand if you might not want to trust them).