What could cause a “Violation of Usage of Android Advertising ID policy”? - General Questions and Answers

I received a notification from Google Play telling me that my app has been removed because of some violation regarding the collection of Advertising IDs.
My app, however, only fetches some publicly available data from the Internet and uses firebase to deliver push notifications to devices which install the app and subscribe to specific FCM topics.
My question is: how could I be leaking Advertising IDs? Are those IDs sent in the HTTP requests made by the app? (e.g. in the headers?) Or maybe it's because of the FCM subscriptions?
The full text of the email I received follows.
Hi developers at REDACTED,
After review, REDACTED, has been removed from Google Play due to a policy violation. This app won’t be available to users until you submit a compliant update.
Issue: Violation of Usage of Android Advertising ID policy and section 4.8 of the Developer Distribution Agreement
Google Play requires developers to provide a valid privacy policy when the app requests or handles sensitive user or device information. We’ve identified that your app collects and transmits the Android advertising identifier, which is subject to a privacy policy requirement. If your app collects the Android advertising ID, you must provide a valid privacy policy in both the designated field in the Play Console, and from within the app.
Next steps: Submit your app for another review
Read through the Usage of Android Advertising ID and User Data policies, as well as the Developer Distribution Agreement, and make appropriate changes to your app. If you decide to collect sensitive user information, be sure to abide by the above policies, and include a link to a valid privacy policy on your app's store listing page and within your app.
Make sure that your app is compliant with all other Developer Program Policies. Additional enforcement could occur if there are further policy violations.
Sign in to your Play Console and submit the update to your app. Alternatively, you may opt-out of this requirement by removing any requests for sensitive permissions or user data.
Alternatively, you may opt-out of this requirement by removing any requests for sensitive permissions or user data.
If approved, your app will again be available with all installs, ratings, and reviews intact.
If you’ve reviewed the policy and feel this removal may have been in error, please reach out to our policy support team. One of my colleagues will get back to you within 2 business days.
Thanks for helping us provide a clear and transparent experience for Google Play users.
Regards,
The Google Play Team
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Related

Freeware Apps - Redefining a Lost Genre

Freeware isnt something you really find much in the Android community.
You hear the term thrown around quite a bit, but even alot of what is termed as freeware, actually isnt.
The Lion's Share of Android apps are not Freeware at all, and the Vast majority of the so-called 'freeware' apps that are available for us to download & use daily are not truly freeware at all
I would like to draft a set of guidelines for what would ideally become a certification standard for the ethical creation & development of free apps
Apps adhering to this standard could be classified under this genre of apps, and even bear a symbol within the app, overlaid on its logo, showing users it belongs and mentioned in the app's description, showing users how it was developed, and stating that it adheres to the guidelines and fulfills the requirements of the new standard.
I would also like to compile a list of any existing apps which already meet these criteria
and all Apps filling these requirements will fall under the realm of this Guild.
Please feel free to offer your own ideas & input as to what you feel would be best for the end user, and any rules or criteria you feel are relevant to forming a framework of guidelines & prerequisites needed for apps to be called under this name, and be brought under the umbrella of this guild.
Please feel free to offer suggestions for the certification & class name and/or Guild name as well
this is all preliminary work, and I'm looking for anyone interested in helping to build this community and standard & promote its use.
There could be 2 classes of apps, Freeware & Benefit-Ware
Or there could just be one set of rules for each, stating "IF.. such and such, THEN... such and such"
If you are an App User, please mention anything you find annoying, bothersome, or troublesome.
If you are an App Developer who knows about or is displeased with the ethics and developments of certain apps which gives other apps and developers bad names, please mention anything you can that might assist us in reigning in the cowboys of the App Wild West.
Also, if somethings are simply & 100% "Not Possible" because of the Android OS, these would be issues the Guild will work to make Individual Device Manufacturers as well as the Android team at Google aware of
So, it could start something like this:
- An app should not contain ads nor promotions which cannot be closed or disabled
- An app should not contain any full-screen ads nor any ads which limit or effect user interaction with the app
- An app should not give reminders which pop up and ask the user for money, ratings, or to download additional apps
- All requests for financial support, ratings, and downloading of additional apps should be contained in the 'About' Section of the Apps Settings
- All apps which produce sound of any sort must include its Volume Controls, including in-app Mute
- All apps with services which wish to run at start up must include their own settings option to enable or disable "Start when Android Starts"
- An app must not Auto-start unless the User has specifically selected it to, nor shall it be kept running if it has not been manually Launched by a User since the last Boot time.
- An app must allow users to manually select the installation directory upon installation
- An app must have its own internal Uninstall button in the "About" Menu Settings
- An app must install 'portably', that is, without adding data to the internal phone storage
- All apps which save data must have a User-Selectable Save Location which can be used to replace the App Default Save Location
- All Apps must Uninstall completely and leave no folder behind, asking users whether or not to uninstall specific items which might contain important user data
I hope other people can add to this list
thanks
I would like to stress that this isnt a knock on any existing programs, nor do I expect anyone to change what they are doing who isn't willing to.
If you hate the idea of this, please continue doing what you are doing.
This is for people who want to join or participate because these are the apps they would prefer to use, or make.
thanks
Others may include:
- An app must ask users whether or not the user wants to add a shortcut to the users default Home screen, regardless of the user's own phone settings. Perhaps an "Allow Shortcut" selection for Shortcuts which are going to be added
- An app must ONLY install shortcuts to the program currently being installed, and can in no way add shortcuts to the Home screen, the apps drawer, or the installation directory, to any other program nor any website at all.
- An app may include a single, small, unobtrusive "Donate/Beer" button on a menu bar with other menu buttons, but to be at the far right or farthest/last menu item available on the menu
- An app must not include permissions for anything other than the express intent & use of the app for its specified purpose.
- No app may, at any time, access a users personal information unless the app has direct interaction with such information as directly related to a service it is providing as a primary function of the app - And even then, the apps access to information must not be sent online nor over the internet unless specified as such due to it being a primary function of the app - and if & when personal information is sent online, the owner of the server must have a secure server which is not accessed by himself or his employees, but in which information is automatically transferred by software to and from the end users needed locations, and to no other place shall the information be passed - Nor shall it be kept on the server while not being sent or received to/from the users locations, without the users express consent, as an additional option.
- A "Primary Function" is defined as a Function which is the main or only reason a user installs or interacts with the site, and will be the main focus of the apps description
- Secondary Functions are not allowed to gain internet access, nor have any interaction with any online server or service, nor be granted any access to personal information nor any stored data outside the apps own install directory, etc.
- Apps must, in a written disclaimer provided in the "About" section of the apps own settings, give specific details as to the apps permissions and justify with specific reasons and technical details why each function requires each form of permission, and exactly how the app will use each permission, including server specifications & information-handling specifics, where applicable.
- Apps qualifying for inclusion in the Guild will clearly label themselves in one of 3 categories exclusively - Freeware, Benefitware, or Trialware.
- Apps labelled as Free, or containing the word "Free" must 1.) be 100% ad-free, 2.) not be a Trial, 3.) be fully functional, & 4.) not bother users for payments, ratings, etc.
- Apps labelled as "Benefitware" may include 1.) ads adhering to the guidelines for the inclusion of ads, 2.) requests for financial assistance in accordance with the guidelines for requests of Financial Assistance, 3.) Added Functionality which is above and beyond the scope of the original, feature-rich, fully-functional program, & 4.) Other items which are primarily of benefit to the developer, but which adhere to the guidelines of Enjoyable, Unfettered User Interaction
- Apps labeled clearly as "Trialware" may 1.) Limit the functionality of the apps Primary Functions, 2.) Must have a fully-functioning trial period of no less than 30 days, 3.) Must not be limited in any way during the Evaluation Period (e.g. no "20-character", "2-page", "3-time" limitations, or the such), & 4.) after the Trial Period, the app will be completely 100% uninstallable, and a re-install of the app on a specific device will begin a new 30-day evaluation (Users will not be treated like criminals nor presumed Guilty of Fraudulent use before proven otherwise).
- Other apps will not gain classification, certification, or inclusion in the Guild, and may refer to themselves in anyway they care to, but may broadly be referred to as "junkware" if they are found to not conform to the Principles, Guidelines & Statutes set forth and adhered to by the Guild & its Members & Affiliates
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Also:
- An app must have an option to turn off Automatic updates, and may not self-check for updates otherwise.
- All Settings a User sets must be permanent and may not be reset nor shall those permission requests for updates, etc, be altered or changed nor be made to reappear, nor require the user to specify the same setting more than once.
- No app shall ever contact its servers for anything other than a user-launched request for the specific function required by the user at the time of the request.
- No app nor server nor company shall in any way interact with its apps or servers in anyway other than to execute the exact function called for by the user according to the UI meaning and implicit intent of the action
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I have checked almost all the setting of it..But couldn't find the prior results..What are the other alternatives of it?
MarkanthonyDonald said:
I have checked almost all the setting of it..But couldn't find the prior results..What are the other alternatives of it?
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Click to collapse
Hi, markanthonydonald. welcome to the forum, I see this is your first day registered, and your first post no less.
That's right, all the prior results are belong to the settings of it t almost at all from the prior r results, but dont stop trying your point o of that the alternatives are to us, and thats the most bases of it. ll
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I like the idea of this, and from what youre saying and a few apps I use would fall into this category just fine IF certain things were moved into the 'about' option. How or why a dev would change their current, 100% working fine app, to modify this I dont know.
robneymcplum said:
I like the idea of this, and from what youre saying and a few apps I use would fall into this category just fine IF certain things were moved into the 'about' option. How or why a dev would change their current, 100% working fine app, to modify this I dont know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great Idea!
- An App must have a complete Version History contained in the About Menu Settings, or a Menu Item Devoted to Version History, with Detailed explanations as to why the changes were added, and if they are only to fix a bug with device x, why is it recommended to install it if you arent using that device
- Each App Update should be available as a complete App Stand-Alone APK installer, or installable from the Play Store Directly. No App should require Updates, nor provide updates for which there is no Standalone APK or an updated Google Play Installation.
alot of devs set up their apps just good enough to get on Google play, without getting kicked off, and then after you install it, they update the app with functions & behaviors that would get it kicked from the Play Store.
great work catching that one, thanks
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robneymcplum said:
I like the idea of this, and from what youre saying and a few apps I use would fall into this category just fine
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Click to collapse
If you know of any solid apps that you believe fall into this category, or easily could, please post them here
We need a list of example apps that we feel embody the spirit of honesty, transparency, user-centric programming & packaging, and which are either made in the spirit of true freeware, or made in the spirit of goodwill, and have either Benefitware or Trialware which adheres to consumer-oriented needs & interests
The following behaviors DO NOT qualify for inclusion in the Guild:
- Any app which appears desperate to flash things in front of your face, particularly things which flash or change scenes or color rapidly, change in a single frame, or less than a 1 second cross-dissolve, and which are overly animated, bothersome, annoying, or which may lead to epileptic reactions, which cannot be permanently closed or disabled for the duration of the session.
- Any app which appears to desperately or urgently present users with matters of no immediate significance or importance to the user. This includes the pestering need for ratings, requests for financial assistance, downloading of the developers other apps or partner apps, offers to visit the Play store or any other external website, etc..
- Any Benefit-ware app with any full-screen advertisement at all, from Internal or external sources used to promote the sales, use, or downloading of its own other products & services or those of an external company
- Any Benefitware which does not allow you to close a bar-style advertisement with a clear, easily-accessed, and adequately-sized close button
- Any Benefitware which re-opens an ad which has been closed within the same 24-hour period, or since reboot.
- Any Trialware which limits functionality of its products to a state inconsistent with the primary function of the app
- Any Trialware which does not allow a minimum 30-day trial period
- Any Trialware which limits the functions within its trial period in any way
- Any Trialware which doesnt openly allow a re-installation of a Trial package on fresh uninstall/reinstall
A user is to be given as much time as is required for him/her to fully evaluate the product. Often times a user may begin a 30-day trial period, only to never have the time to use it, including having no time to even look through it the day it was installed
Furthermore, All apps containing promotions of their own products are to be classified as Benefitware, and not Freeware, even if there are no ads from external advertising companies.
Feel free to add to this list, or to add an app you believe warrants inclusion for its programming efforts, ethics, & merits
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A similar Evaluation Period problem arises when users are given a 30-time evaluation. As one "Evaluation" day is simply a 24-hour period since the app was launched.
Launching the app by accident, or launching the app and immediately closing it, removes evaluation days from your trial, days in which no evaluating took place.
Even if we give each launch a time-specific interval where an app which is running for 10 or 15 minutes is considered "Evaluated" for one day, it doesnt take into account that launching the app then closing it where it sits opened in the background still takes away your evaluation days, or opening it, then answering the door or going to grab a sandwich also takes from your evaluation period
We could find other solutions to this problem, but one of the primary characteristics for an app or developer to be included in the Guild is to treat the user as if they were a guest in an actual store, and not a criminal pirate on a baby-killing spree, meaning:
- No app or developer should treat a user like a criminal, nor assume he is engaging or will engage in criminal activity, nor accuse him of such activities, nor behave in a manner which displays mistrust or accusations of users
- An app & developer must leave it to fate, heaven, and the common goodwill of mankind to have its requests & guidelines (such as for trials, etc) met, and can in no way behave in a manner which is inconsistent with good will
- All agreements made will be made in Good Faith with the community at large
you wont walk into a department store and be tackled by the security guards and forced to pay for something you didnt even try on, simply because you touched in on the rack, or be banned from the store for life until you do pay for it.. simply because the paranoid psychotic lunatic in charge of the store thinks everybody who walks into his store is a dirt-poor crack-head criminal out to steal his supremely precious goods
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Also:
- An app is not to be created for the sole intention of Data Collection or Information Gathering, and apps which appear to do so will be blacklisted
- An app is not to be developed or created for the primary purpose of spreading advertising spam, shady promotions, other sites & services, etc, and any app found to be out of balance with respect to this criteria will be blacklisted
- Any app found to be in breech of any of the guidelines shall be blacklisted. Concerned Members could write a letter to the developer instructing them on the things they could change for inclusion in the Guild, if they so choose
- No app shall include advertisements or links of/to any shady or malicious programs or websites, including phishing sites, spoof sites, porn sites, or any site which executes malicious code or scripts, or which is deemed as an unhealthy website, program, or service by the world-wide community of web experts as a whole
- Any app or developer found in severe breech of the spirit of the Guild will be banned for life. Severe offenses include things such as falsifying information, deception, betrayal, lying, perpetuating viruses/malware or web-based attacks, hacks or intrusions, or stealing private information & personal data; the gathering of personal data for uses unspecific to the service or which willfully compromise the security & privacy of users; or if an app or developer is found to be using the information & data of users in a way which destroys the Integrity & Trustworthiness of the app & developer, and undermines, corrupts, corrodes, or destroys the Trust & Faith the community has put in the app & developer
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chinarabbit said:
If you know of any solid apps that you believe fall into this category, or easily could, please post them here
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I use zeam launcher, that definetely qualifies.
robneymcplum said:
I use zeam launcher, that definetely qualifies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, thanks
It seems its not under development anymore.
Perhaps a goal of the Organization can be to encourage, promote, or reward excellence in Programming as well..
It may help to motivate devs who've grown disassociated or whos apps may not be getting the attention they deserve.
I currently use Lightning Launcher, and I would definitely say it qualifies as well. It has the most features of any launcher I've tested, and one of the smallest foot prints as well.. its fast and minimalistic, and completely free, and never bothers you about anything.. it has more features than you'd expect from any high-priced app.. if it has additional paid options I dont even know, as the app is extremely feature rich and has all the functions you could ever want, and many more you havent even thought up yet
These kinds of apps make using Android Phones worthwhile
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Other important requirements -
- Any App wherein the user enters personal, private, or sensitive information, which has the ability to sync Across Devices & Computers through Web-based Servers, shall:
- Provide a switch to turn off all syncing options & functions
- Provide an adequately useful method for SD Card Storage export which is not dependent on the software which was used to create it
- Be fully functional, practical & useful, as per the intent for use of the primary function of the app, in an offline state.
- No app shall automatically start Services such as GPS, Wi-Fi, etc, without offering a user Prompt for acceptance of such actions
- All apps which turn on services like GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc, shall contain a settings option to permanently disable turning on of any such external services
- All information Sent or Received through online servers or web services shall be secure & inaccessible by the host, in the following ways:
- The information & data sent by users shall enter the server and leave the server, and not be kept on the server except for the brief moment during transfer, without being subject to any sort of copy mechanism, nor filter, nor scan, nor shall accessing the content in any way while the information is passing through the server be allowed
- Information & Data uploaded to storage servers for later access by users shall be encrypted by the server administrators with 128-bit encryption, and be stored thus encrypted until it is Retrieved from the server by the user or users granted password access by the owner of the information.
- Server administrators & owners are forbidden from accessing any user information on their servers, and must encrypt the files & user data in such a way that its available only to the user, and otherwise remains in a software-encrypted state upon the server, inaccessible by server admins & owners
- Servers shall be vigilantly maintained and frequently tested for security
- If a server is used for "cloud" storage by the user, the User Data shall be backed-up in an Encrypted state, and frequently tested for data integrity
- Servers which are not secure and which do not encrypt user files & data files, or which do not design themselves to be secure from admin access of data and other third-party viewers, shall be known as "Public Servers", and a Warning Prompt shall appear on the device or computer each time the Server is accessed and data is sent or received (there shall be no method for disabling this prompt). The Warning Message shall clearly state the user is accessing a "Public Server" (capitalized) and that any data sent or received is freely viewable to third-parties, and server owners & administrators shall include themselves as third-party viewers
- First Party users & viewers (hereafter referred to as the "Owner") are designated as both the Device & User which uploaded the data to the server for storage
- Second Party users & viewers are defined specifically as both the Device & User which downloads or accesses the data which was previously stored, and who has been given password-protected permission by the Owner (First Party)
-Third Party is broadly inclusive of any organization, company, or individual who has access or potential access to the Owner's Data. Third Party also includes Devices, Computers, Servers, & Software which handles, accesses or views (or has the potential to do so), in an unencrypted state (not 128-bit or higher), any data or information belonging to or uploaded by the First Party / Owner, with the exception of Software or an Algorithm accessing the data for the sole purpose of automated Encryption to 128-bit level, or decryption from 128-bit, which does not copy, record, send or store any user-sent/received data at all, and which no other software or entity views, has access to, or monitors, records, sends, or retrieves in any way whatsoever
- "Encrypt" (also Encryption, Encrypted, Encrypting, etc) is defined as 128-bit automated, unmonitored software / algorithm encryption processed by a program without oversight or monitoring by any other software, algorithm, or entity,and which has no other function other than Encryption
- To Qualify for Inclusion in the Guild, Server owners must open up their server modules, processes and other relevant information to review by the Guild or one of its member affiliates for inspection, review, & certification. Server Owners must also provide sworn affidavits stating the integrity and security of the data, and how the data is used, who has access, how information is processed, transferred, encrypted, etc. and submit said Affidavits to the Guild before being removed from the Guild Security Blacklist.
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I think we've already narrowed the list of qualifying software to less than what's available for Windows Phone
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A qualifying app must also have the ability to retain full functionality after an Android OS reinstall.. meaning a portable install or an install which can use existing files found in File System Root/data/data without errors when reinstalling the app
No developer shall make any requests for donations or monetary compensation of any kind, who has included in his app any form of advertising or which has been given any permissions pertaining to user data & usage information
No App shall require specific permissions for advertisements or promotions.
No in-app advertisement shall require any special permissions or access whatsoever.
No advertisement or information gathering function shall piggyback on other functions requiring access or permissions, nor shall any advertisement or information gathering function utilize access or permissions granted to the app for its core, non-advertising, non-data collecting, non-marketing functions

Can you help, please?

My 2 apps got removal with same reason
REASON FOR REMOVAL:Violation of section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement.
After a regular review we have determined that your app interferes with or accesses another service or product in an unauthorized manner. This violates the provision of your agreement with Google referred to above.
All removals are tracked. Repeated removals will result in app suspension, at which point this app will count as a strike against the good standing of your developer account and no longer be available on Google Play.
Can some one please share what is happening ?
Please describe what your app does

Having very tough time getting apps approved by google.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this. I am having a hard time finding a solution to my problem. I know this isnt the "correct" place for this post but XDA is the best and I know the answers are here.
I make applications for people and businesses. They pay me for my services. They are very simple apps that, for the most part, bring someones social medias to a single place with some other basic features. The issue I am having is that when I submit these app to google, they claim impersonation...
"This is a notification that your application, The Unofficial Futureman App, with package ID com.singlestoneapps.futureman, has been suspended from the Google Play Store. REASON FOR SUSPENSION:Violation of the impersonation or deceptive behavior provisions of the Content Policy. Please refer to the impersonation policy help article for more information.
If you are authorized to publish on behalf of the original content or brand owner, please contact us via the Google Play Help Center and attach verifiable and accepted proof of permission.
This particular app has been disabled as a policy strike. If your developer account is still in good standing, you may revise and upload a policy compliant version of this application as a new package name.
This notification also serves as notice for other apps in your catalog. You can avoid further app suspensions by immediately ensuring that no other apps in your catalog are in violation of (but not limited to) the above policy. Please also ensure your apps’ compliance with the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy.
All violations are tracked. Additional suspensions of any nature may result in the termination of your developer account, and investigation and possible termination of related Google accounts. If your account is terminated, payments will cease and Google may recover the proceeds of any past sales and/or the cost of any associated fees (such as chargebacks and transaction fees) from you.
If you feel we have made this determination in error, you can visit this Google Play Help Center article."
This isn't the only one I had the issue with. I submitted "rebutles" for them and never heard back from google. At this point, my account has been TERMINATED. They are claiming that I am pretending to be these people in order to get downloads. Whats form(s) do I need to bypass this? Is there a generic form? How do I submit it to google in order to avoid this issue? Any other advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks again XDA

[Free Wi-Fi Password] User Data Policy & User Agreement

Terms of User Data Policy & User Agreement
These terms and conditions (“User Terms”) apply to your visit and your use of our websites (the “Website”), the Service and the Application (as defined below), as well as to all information, recommendations and/or services provided to you on or through the Website, the Service, and the Application. By using our Services, accessing our Website or downloading the Application you hereby agree to be bound by these User Terms.
• PLEASE READ THESE USER TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE DOWNLOADING OUR APPLICATION AND/OR ACCESSING OUR WEBSITE OR USING OUR SERVICE.
• If you reside in a jurisdiction that restricts or prohibits the use of the Service or Application, you may not use the Service or the Application.
• The Service, Application and Website are provided by Free WiFi Password (hereinafter referred to as “we” or “us”). We provide the ability to obtain Internet access services offered by third party Internet access providers, business owners or individuals (the “Access Provider”), which may be requested through the use of an application supplied by us and downloaded and installed by you on your single mobile device (smart phone) (the “Application”). All services provided by us to you through your use of the Application are hereafter referred to as the “Service”.
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• These User Terms are subject to amendment by us from time to time. The amended version will substitute the former one upon release without further notice to you and will be made available on the Website for your review. The version on the Website shall be the most current version of the terms and shall apply to your use of the Service, Website or Application. By continuing to use the Service, Website or Application following the new User Terms being made available, you give your consent to the amended User Terms and they shall be binding upon you. You shall immediately stop using the Service, Website and Application provided by us if you do not accept the revised User Terms.
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We do not provide Internet access services, and we are not a telecommunications carrier. It is up to the Access Provider to obtain authorization to offer/share Internet access, which may be requested through the use of the Application and/or the Service. We only act as an intermediary between you and the Access Provider.
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2. Your Rights and Obligations
2.1 By using the Application or the Service, you further agree that you will:
(a) only use the Service or download the Application for your sole and personal use and will not resell it to a third party;
(b) Not authorize any third party to use your account and will keep secure and confidential your account password or any identification we provide you which allows access to the Service and the Application;
(c) not assign or otherwise transfer your account to any other person or legal entity;
(d) not use an account that is subject to any rights of or belonging to a person other than you without appropriate authorization;
(e) not use the Service or Application:
(i) for unlawful purposes, including but not limited to sending or storing any unlawful material or for fraudulent purposes;
(ii) to send spam or otherwise duplicative or unsolicited messages in violation of applicable laws;
(iii) to send or store infringing, obscene, threatening, libelous, or otherwise unlawful or tortious material, including material harmful to children or in any way which violates any third party’s privacy or other rights;
(iv) to send or store material containing software viruses, worms, Trojan horses, malware or other harmful computer code, files, scripts, agents or programs;
(v) to interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Website, the Application or Service or the data contained therein;
(vi) for any form of malicious intent;
(vii) to cause nuisance, annoyance or inconvenience;
(viii) to upload or download large files or other unfair uses that may cause impairment of the Service for other Users, Registered Users or the Access Provider;
(f) not impair the proper operation of the network;
(g) not try to harm the Service or Application in any way whatsoever;
(h) not copy or distribute the Application or other content without our prior written permission;
(i) provide us with whatever proof of identity we may reasonably request;
(j) only share an Internet access point or information relating to an Internet access point which you own or are authorized to share;
(k) be responsible for ensuring that any information provided by you in relation to any Internet access point, including access passwords, are kept updated, unless you have notified us in accordance with these User Terms of your wish to withdraw your consent to sharing information to access your Internet access point. If there is any change to such information, you shall notify us and update such information within a reasonable period of time;
(l) notify us in writing if you wish to withdraw your consent to sharing or providing information relating to an Internet access point through the Application. We will remove all information relating to the Internet access point provided by you from the Application within 60 days of receipt of such notification from you;
(m) be responsible for standard messaging charges when requesting the Service or joining any contest held by us by SMS (if available in your jurisdiction);
not use the Service or Application with an incompatible or unauthorized device; and
(o) comply with all applicable laws of your home nation, the country, state and/or city in which you are present while using the Application or Service.
2.2 You must not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Website, the Application or Service or its related systems or networks.
2.3 We may at our sole discretion cancel or delete your registered account if it has not been active for a reasonably long time.
3. Privacy Policy
Definition of personal data
You acknowledge that personal data is defined as data from which an individual (meaning a living or deceased natural individual and not including legal individuals such as incorporated bodies) can be identified. Examples of this may include: your official name, ID number, phone number, IP address and the email account you used to log in Google Play.
For what purposes do we process your personal data?
When you visit our Website and/or use our Application, we may process technical data such as your IP-address, visited webpages, the internet browser you use, your previous/next visited websites and the duration of a visit/session to enable us to deliver the functionalities of the Website and our Application. In addition, in certain instances, the browser and/or the Application may prompt you for your geo-location to allow us to provide you with an enhanced experience. With this technical data, our administrators can manage the Website and the Application, for instance by resolving technical difficulties or improving the accessibility of certain parts of the Website and/or the Application. This way, we are better able to ensure that you can (continue to) find the information on the Website and/or the Application in a quick and simple manner.
When you visit our Website and/or use our Application, we will also collect and process your data, such as your IP-address, country, language, mobile number, IMEI, device ID, MAC-address, information about the manufacturer, model, and operating system of your mobile device, including your mobile device’s screen resolution, and access point information, including SSID and BSSID. We use this data to enable us to deliver the functionalities of the Application, resolve technical difficulties, and provide you with the correct and most up to date version of the Application and to improve the operation of the Application.
When you register as a Registered User, we will collect your country, language, password, mobile phone number, IP-address and MAC-address. We will use your contact details to send you a welcoming SMS to verify your phone number and password, to communicate with you in response to your inquiries, and to send you service-related announcements, for instance, if our Service is temporarily suspended for maintenance. We will use your registration information to create and manage your account. If you are required to SMS us to complete the registration, standard SMS charges may apply.
We may also use your contact details to send you general updates regarding our news, special offers and promotions with your prior consent. You may at all times opt-out of receiving these updates by emailing us at [email protected] or by following the steps to unsubscribe more fully described in any relevant email you receive from us.
We also use your personal data in an anonymised and aggregated form to closely monitor which features of the Service are used most, to analyze usage patterns and to determine where we should offer or focus our Service. We may share this anonymised information with third parties for industry analysis and statistics.
Referrals
If you choose to use our referral feature in the Application to tell a friend about our Service, you will be prompted to enter your friend’s email address or mobile phone number or log into your preferred social network. Please ensure that you have your friend’s express permission to disclose this personal data before providing it to us. If you elect to refer a friend, we will automatically populate a message for you to send to your friend inviting him or her to try the Service on your behalf, however the actual message will be sent via your mobile device or social network and you will be able to edit the final message before you send it. We do not store your friend’s data.
Disclosure of personal data
When you request for Internet access services via the Application, we do not provide your personal data to any Access Provider.
We may employ third party companies (including our affiliated companies) and individuals to facilitate or provide the Service on our behalf, to provide customer support, to backup, maintain and process data (including your personal data we collected), to host our job application form, to perform Website-related services (e.g., without limitation, maintenance services, database management, web analytics and improvement of the Website or Application’s features) or to assist us in analyzing how our Service is used. These third parties have access to your personal information only to perform these tasks on our behalf, are contractually bound not to disclose or use it for any other purpose, and are bound by legally enforceable obligations to provide to your personal information a standard of protection that is comparable to that under the Personal Data Protection Act (2012) of Singapore, as amended from time to time.
We will disclose your personal data to the extent that this is legally required, necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims and legal process, or in the event of an emergency pertaining to your health and/or safety.
Your rights regarding personal data
As a User or Registered User, you have the right to access information regarding your personal account, including information that you’ve provided to us. You may at any time request correction or erasure of your personal data, and object to any processing of your personal data by emailing us at [email protected]. We will respond to your access and/or correction request within four weeks. You may also amend your personal details and withdraw any given consent using your account.
Security of personal data
We have taken appropriate technical and organizational security measures against loss or unlawful processing of your personal data. To this purpose, your personal data is securely stored within our database, and we use standard, industry-wide, commercially reasonable security practices as well as physical safeguards of the locations where data are stored. However, as effective as encryption technology is, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the security of our database, nor can we guarantee that information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to us over the Internet. Any transmission of information by you to us or to any third party is at your own risk.
4. Software Trademark
Any IPR involved in the Application, Services and Website (including that of our Connected Partners) signs and names of products and services shall be owned by us (or our Connected Partners as applicable). You are not allowed to display, use or otherwise deal with our (or our Connected Partners’) IPR or signs by any means or represent that you have the right to display, use or otherwise deal with such IPR or signs without our prior written consent. “IPR” shall mean any copyright, design rights (whether registered or unregistered), database rights, patents, utility models, trademarks, signs, logos, trade names, domain names and topography rights and any other intellectual property having a similar nature of equivalent effect anywhere in the world and any applications for or registrations of any of these rights.
5. Liability and Disclaimers
5.1 We shall in no circumstances be liable for:
(a) information or content transmitted over a WiFi hotspot by you or any User, Registered User or third party. Any information or content transmitted by you or other Users or Registered Users of the Application or third parties through the Application does not represent our view or policy;
(b) damages resulting from the use of (or the inability to use) electronic means of communication through the Website or the Application, including, but not limited to, damages resulting from failure or delay in delivery of electronic communications, interception or manipulation of electronic communications by third parties or computer programs, and the transmission of viruses;
(c) damages resulting from the use of (or inability to use) the Website or Application, including damages caused by malware, viruses or any incorrectness or incompleteness of the information on the Website or Application;
(d) any damages, loss or third party claims resulting from your sharing of or providing access to a WiFi hotspot;
(e) the quality of the Internet access services provided by the Access Provider or any acts, actions, behaviour, conduct, and/or negligence on the part of the Access Provider. Any complaints about the Internet access services provided by the Access Provider should therefore be submitted to the Access Provider;
(f) any server crash or network interruptions caused by any event of force majeure or any other circumstance outside of our control, including any data loss or other damage suffered by you;
(g) any data loss or other damage suffered by you during or in connection with any upgrade of the Services, Website or Application; and
(h) any costs incurred by you, including any charges for data, messaging and other wireless access services, associated with your use the Application.
5.2 You hereby agree to compensate and indemnify us and any of our contracted partners and affiliates (our “Connected Partners”) for any claims, suits, requests, damages or losses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, from third-parties resulting from the your breach of this Agreement or resulting from information or content transmitted over a WiFi hotspot by you or any User, Registered User or third party, and hold us and our Connected Partners harmless for any claims, requests and suits against us or our Connected Partners.
5.3 You hereby acknowledge and agree that to the extent permitted by applicable law, we shall not be liable to you for any direct, indirect, accidental, special or follow-up losses, damages or risks caused by your use of or failure to use the Application and/or Services.
Your warranties, representations and undertakings
5.4 You shall be responsible for obtaining appropriate authorization from the owner of a WiFi hotspot when sharing such WiFi hotspot, including but not limited to the password and location of the WiFi hotspot, and for ensuring that all the information of any and all hotspots you share are secure. You hereby:
(a) warrant and undertake that you are either the owner of the WiFi hotspot or are appropriately and validly authorized by the owner of the WiFi hotspot to do so when sharing the details of such with us; and
(b) agree to indemnify us in respect of any loss or damage suffered by us in respect of a breach of this provision.
5.5 You hereby warrant, represent and undertake that any WiFi hotspot information obtained will be used by you strictly in compliance with any applicable laws. Any illegal action or breach of relevant law or rules is forbidden. We shall be exempted from any liability for any problems caused by the breach of this provision.
Exclusion of warranties
5.6 We do not provide the WiFi network connection or internet services and therefore we do not make any warranty or guarantee regarding the timeliness, security and accuracy of the Service, and you hereby agree that we shall have no liability to you in respect of or in connection with any communication failure.
5.7 To the extent permitted by applicable law, we do not give any warranties, representations or undertakings in respect of the Application, whether express or implied, or in decrees, including but not limited to problems related to merchantability, applicability, non-virus, negligence, or technological flaw, and any warrant and conditions, express or implied, to ownership and non-infringement.
6. Miscellaneous
6.1 You should read these User Terms clearly before using the Service, Website and/or Application.
6.2 Any invalidation of any clause, partly or wholly, shall not affect the validity of other clauses herein.
6.3 These User Terms shall be governed by the laws of Singapore. Any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these User Terms or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof or the use of the Website, the Service or the Application (collectively, “Disputes”) will be settled exclusively by the competent court in Singapore.
6.4 These User Terms, together with any of our policies notified to you from time to time, set out the entire agreement between you and us and you have not entered into these User Terms in reliance upon any promise or understanding which is not expressly set out in these User Terms.
6.5 These User Terms may be translated into non-English language versions. In the event of any inconsistency, conflict or uncertainty between this English language version and any non-English language version of these User Terms, this English language version shall prevail and apply.
6.6 Any failure or delay by either of us in exercising our rights under these User Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right and shall not restrict the further exercise of that right or any other remedy.
6.7 These User Terms shall apply to your relationship with us and shall not confer any rights on any third party.
Free WiFi Password
Last updated, Nov 2016​
Wheres app

REQUEST for info related to privacy and security.

Good day!
I have a page for online privacy ( www.4yourprivacy.com) and want to add more information regarding smart phones and personal privacy and anonymity to that site.
Anyone who can offer insight to these questions as well as suggest additional questions I may not have thought of I will be most appreciative.
It is understood that using mobile networks data, tower triangulation can still provide coarse location information that is saved as part of your phone record. Assume that location services and GPS are disabled
1. Using cell data how much privacy is afforded by having an active VPN connection with regard to third party apps or with carrier provided SMS?
With no mobile data but using WiFi only with VPN.
2. Does VPN offer any actual privacy to the user of standard SMS messages? I realize that alternative means such as "Signal app" provide end-2-end privacy even without VPN.
3. Do some, all, most third party apps obtain and transmit the specific device ID such as phone number and IMEI etc back to a server some where? This is a technical/software question not related to developers privacy practice. Is this totally dependent upon permissions you can control per-app?
4. App tagging. I read that when a user downloads an app from PlayStore that app is tagged to your device to permit developers to monitor accounts for such things as billing etc to be able to disable apps where user either has not paid or has violated some TOS...also by Google to register it to your phone for updates etc.
But what about the same app obtained and manually installed as an APK file without going through PlayStore?
Any thoughts, links to authority or additional questions I failed to ask please let me here what you have to say. ( Yes this may appear on more than one forum! )
Again thanks in advance for any thoughts or info that you believe should make their way to a discussion about privacy and security when using a mobile device. ( Android in this case...will address iPhone elsewhere )
Paul
paulckruger said:
Good day!
I have a page for online privacy ( www.4yourprivacy.com) and want to add more information regarding smart phones and personal privacy and anonymity to that site.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting... Just had a look to your site regarding privacy and anonymity by Webbkoll and got interesting results: https://webbkoll.dataskydd.net/en/results?url=http://www.4yourprivacy.com/
Do you agree that having Google and Linkin cookies already contradicts privacy etc.?
Well for starters there is no information on this page that Google does not already index. I am not concerned about the privacy of this web site simply because if the site itself is too "private" people searching for this kind of info won't be able to find me in Google...kinda defeats the purpose of such a site in the first place!
The actual "privacy" aspect is the responsibility of the user not this web site which by definition must be findable for people to access the information. The assumption should be that a first visit will be by someone already exposing their tracks online seeking info on how to avoid just that.
Second...not a response to my question!
But thanks.

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