Database Info

Privacy concerns about AOKP - Best alternative of Cyanogenmod, AOKP, Replica, etc?

I currently have AOKP (Maclaw) installed on my Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini, but as I was looking through the apps, there was one particular app that got me slightly concerned. It´s called Panda and when I click it, the only option I have is to "Enable Energy Save Mode", yet that utterly simple app has FULL access to the entire phone.
Firstly with Panda, you do not have the option to uninstall it the easy way, so a noob is forced to have it there.
If you try to forcibly stop Panda in the app manager, it will restart itself automatically.
Further more - Panda have the perrmissions to
- directly call phone numbers
read phone status and identity
- read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
send MMS messages
- take pictures and photos
- record audio
- approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
- modify your contacts
read your contacts
- read your own contact card
- modify or delete the contents of your SD card
- disable your screen lock
- set an alarm
- read Google service configuration
use accounts on the device
view configured accounts
- read terms you added to the dictionary
- change system display settings
modify secure system settings
retrieve system internal status
- change network connectivity
change WiMaX state
connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
connect and disconnect from WiMaX
control Near-Field Communication
full network access
view network connections
view Wi-Fi connections
- access Bluetooth settings
pair with Bluetooth devices
- re-order running apps
retrieve running apps
run at startup
- draw over other apps
- control vibration
prevent phone from sleeping
- add words to user-defined dictionary
- change your audio settings
. read sync settings
read sync statistics
toggle sync on and off
- expand / collaps status bar
- modify system settings
read battery statistics
read Home settings and shortcuts
test access and protected storage
write Home settings and shortcuts
- full permissions to all device features and storage
- Set global theme
..meaning I guess that this Panda app has full administrator/root permissions.. - ..but why?
Why does a seemingly useless application like Panda have root permissions, which in turn also makes it fairly difficult to remove? What is the application Panda´s true purpose? Why is it there in the first place? What does it do, exactly?
My concerns with these alternative smartphone operating systems is that there might be an Ubuntu/Debian scenario, where Debian is a nice clean OS giving you the very basics and letting you choose whatever extra you want from there, whereas Ubuntu comes with a lot of extra stuff that you do not really need and / or should be given the ability to choose if you wanted to install or not, upon install.
So, I guess my question to the experienced, security- and privacy-oriented smartphone-OS user is:
What is the best alternative smartphone OS that gives you a simple OS without anything extra such as that suspicious Panda app?
In other words, which smartphone alternative out there today can be trusted the most to respect my privacy? I would of course look into Firefox OS if it was available.
Am I being overly paranoid about AOKP? Should I just keep that, or perhaps Cyanogenmod is the way to go? Or perhaps I am missing an even better solution?
Thanks.

You know you can easily disable those permissions with app ops, do you?
Sent from my GT-I8190 MaclawStudio CM 11 using Tapatalk

GXGOW said:
You know you can easily disable those permissions with app ops, do you?
Sent from my GT-I8190 MaclawStudio CM 11 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not with the Panda application you cant, and thats using the original App Ops with 4.3 support.
If you access App Ops to edit permissions for Panda, you arent given a single permission to alter.
The App Ops I am using works just fine with other applications, and I can easily alter permissions - but with Panda, not so--I cannot edit a single permission of Panda´ s, and yet that application has full access to my entire phone.
Panda is an application that seems to come by default with the MacLaw releases, at least on AOKP - I havent tested their Cyanogenmod release yet.
That Panda bear logo of this particular Panda app that I am talking about is the same Panda depicted on http://maclaw.pl - so it kinda begs to question - why is there an application like that with the AOKP MacLaw releases in the first place? Does that app gather information? Can it be accessed remotely? What exactly does it do?
The Panda "Teddy" logo:
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

You could upload the app to VirusTotal and if nothing is picking it up then send it to a AV provider that you like as a suspicious file and they'll check it over.
Or upload it and post the link here and I'm sure someone who knows far more than I do) could look it over.

You could also just ask him yourself, but I don't think he'll be collecting your personal information. The only thing that app does, is turning off one CPU core and setting the governor to OnDemand. That's all I know.

PSA root apps, or mods to the system don't really need to declare permissions, they can obtain the same functionality other routes. Don't judge the safety of an app just based on it's permissions.

[APP][4.3+] Seebye Messenger API - NO Root - Beta

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Introduction
After creating some apps to interact with WhatsApp I received several mails asking me how my apps manipulate WhatsApp.
Also I noticed a fact.. 56% of the devices which installed my apps had no root rights..
So they couldn't use my app.
This is why I decided to change something by creating the possiblity to interact with other messenger without root rights.
Furthermore I want to help you to develope a app which is able to do the same.
After several months of developing I'm finally able to present the results to you.
Supported messengers
WhatsApp
Functions (for developers)
Note: As this app works without root rights we have to accept some limitations caused by the lack of rights.
For example: It's impossible to fetch the location of a message.
My API is able to do the following things:
Sniffing messages from notifications
Sniffing messages from conversations
Determine profile images
Determine the location of images from incoming and outgoing messages
Determine the location of videos from incoming messages
Determine the location of audio from incoming messages
Send text messages
Send images
Send videos
Send audio
Also my API will inform you about the following things:
The emoji button was pressed
The conversation of a contact was opened
We received a new message
An app became visible (package + class will be passed)
Requirements
Android 4.3+
WhatsApp [Material Design] (Download )
beta
Until now this app is useless for normal users.
This is why I will prefer to grant access to developers.
Also I will upload an example module to demonstrate the functions.
(The translation link inside the app is invalid. (I forgot to remove it))
1. Join this
(for developers) Google+-Community
or this Google+-Community
2. Read the instructions within the community
Download
Google Play Store
Translation
The app supports already:
english
german (coming soon)
Soon I will offer the possibility to create translations on your own.
Social networks
If you want to get notified about new apps, new big features or just want to like seebye, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
I'm looking forward to get feedback from you.

Rules for developing a module
Your module has to have a clear focus. -> No alround tools.
We don't want to give reasons for going against this app.
-> No childish apps -> E.g. no apps to spam other person (I added a protection to prevent you from sending spam)
You're not allowed to create an app which interacts as man in the middle between other apps and the API.
-> You're not allowed to create a single app which handles all the API request from (your) other apps.
I reserve the right to extend the list.
Requirements to build a module
Android Studio
Gradle
Developing a module
API
Example Module
ᅟ

Screenshots
Videos

To also allow users to test my API I created a version of Seebye Scheduler which does not require root rights.
Modules
You have to become part of the Seebye Messenger API community to test these modules.
Seebye Scheduler NO root
Conversation Widget

I can't download the conversation widget get 940 error on Google Play and not found in the api download

david6910 said:
I can't download the conversation widget get 940 error on Google Play and not found in the api download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I googled after you problem and found this post.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52274250&postcount=5
So you have to make sure you did the following things.
1. Joining one of the mentioned communities.
2. Become a tester of Seebye Messenger API.
3. Become a tester of Conversation Widget.
You have to join as a tester for both apps.
(It sounds like you're a tester of Conversation Widget only)
(4. Download & install Seebye Messenger API.
5. Download & install Conversation Widget.)
If it still fails to install the apps I guess that the google servers need some time to update.
Also I would try to install the apps after clearing the chache of Google Play Store.

Update :
- double detection of incoming messages fixed
- added the possibility to block access requests from modules

Update (version code 548):
- the performance should be appreciably improved

how to remove the bug
Hello
I want to know
How can I remove in case a bug get stuck?

Hello this works gereat for me...
one question, how i can send emojis?
Thanks

[APP][4.4+][Root]ToolWiz Privacy

We are thinking of separating APP Freeze and Privacy Freeze and make two different Apps.
With ToolWiz Privacy you can still protect your personal info against big data tracking of APPs. In addition, we will add album locker to protect your photos from spying eyes and small tools to clear your browser history.
APP Freeze will be an independent APP aiming at extending battery life and avoiding big data roaming bills. We help you better manage your smartphone by killing background service of APPs and preventing them from auto-start.
What do you think of the idea? Your opinion is more than welcome.
---
Hey,
We are a small team focusing on android security and we developed a tool called ToolWiz Privacy. This APP aims to protect android phone users against data collecting and ads pushing APPs. Moreover, we want to help users extend battery life of their smartphones.
Now we have our beta test version(1.01) and we would like to invite you to join us and make it better.
ToolWiz Privacy has two main functions—APP Freeze and Privacy Freeze.
You can freeze your APPs so that they are completely locked and banned from being active or running in the background. The frozen APPs can only be opened from ToolWiz Privacy.
You can freeze your privacy so that APPs can only get access to your fake personal information. You can edit fake privacy info (fake phone number, location, IMEI…) yourself and block unwanted actions of APPs(sending and receiving text message, making and receiving phone calls…) in settings.
It’s the first APP in the world to help you to get rid of big data tracking and it makes your Android phone keep running for more than 20 hours without charging.
Check if you are able to use ToolWiz Privacy:
Android Version 4.4+
Rooted Phone
Restart after update
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
CHANGE LOG:
version: 1.0.3
View attachment app-btows-release-1.0.3.apk
Added shortcut to homescreen to open frozen APPs
Added options to create shortcut to homescreen in settings
Fixed small UI bugs
version: 1.0.1
View attachment app-btows-release-1.0.1.apk
Fixed minor bugs on the UI
Fixed the bug causing slowness during update
Added the function to disable auto-start for APPS
Version 0.105 : View attachment app-btows-release-0.106.apk
If you have any questions and comments:
Please be free to replay below or contact us via [email protected]
Hope you enjoy it!

We need your suggestions to improve our tool.Any replies are welcome!

ToolWiz Privacy said:
We need your suggestions to improve our tool.Any replies are welcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the privacy freeze allow me to prevent an app from sending notifications? Some apps send notification spam.

famewolf said:
Does the privacy freeze allow me to prevent an app from sending notifications? Some apps send notification spam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of cause, you can go to app settings and check on the 'Block Notification Bar' item. And add the app into Privacy Freeze.Just try it!

ToolWiz Privacy said:
Of cause, you can go to app settings and check on the 'Block Notification Bar' item. And add the app into Privacy Freeze.Just try
it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried your app and unless I misunderstood you have 1 set of "fake data" used by all the apps....this is not going to work out well as you might want SOME apps to be able to get your real location but still be unable to send or receive text messages....or stop one app from sending notifications but allow everything else....ideally you need to be able to specify what needs to be faked per app. I also found various spots where the english text had "shadow" chinese characters behind it.
Finally autostart and background running should be considered seperate when "freezing"....I might have music apps I want to allow to run in background but NOT autostart on bootup......and vice versa I might have an app I want to run on bootup such as changelog droid that grabs the list of changes to apps that have been updated since last boot but NOT allow it to run in background. It looked like app freeze was an all or nothing thing.
Good luck with the app.

famewolf said:
Tried your app and unless I misunderstood you have 1 set of "fake data" used by all the apps....this is not going to work out well as you might want SOME apps to be able to get your real location but still be unable to send or receive text messages....or stop one app from sending notifications but allow everything else....ideally you need to be able to specify what needs to be faked per app. I also found various spots where the english text had "shadow" chinese characters behind it.
Finally autostart and background running should be considered seperate when "freezing"....I might have music apps I want to allow to run in background but NOT autostart on bootup......and vice versa I might have an app I want to run on bootup such as changelog droid that grabs the list of changes to apps that have been updated since last boot but NOT allow it to run in background. It looked like app freeze was an all or nothing thing.
Good luck with the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your suggestions, we've updated a new version apk file in this post. And our developers are heading to solve the problem you've mentioned, configure different 'fake data' for every single app.Maybe you can see that in next version.
Actually when an app is frozen by our tools, autostart and background services can be configured separately.Just click the app you added, and you can see that autostart and services are list separately, moreover every background services can be configured as you want.

If you want some apps not running in background, just try it! And we'll do better!

This app has a lot of potential, so far so good.. I would like to also privacy freeze system apps tho , and also choose fake info specifically for each app, Like this app.. ???

Raidel™ said:
This app has a lot of potential, so far so good.. I would like to also privacy freeze system apps tho , and also choose fake info specifically for each app, Like this app..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, freezing system apps and editing fake data for each app are already on our TODO list.
Maybe you can meet with them a few days later.:laugh:

This is a promising application, but is there a way to ignore certain apps? It's annoying to see the red when I know the app that's in the red to be safe.

[APP][5.0+] Skit - application manager for people

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Description
Skit is the simplest and most intuitive apps manager for your device. Skit opens up many possibilities for you, which include uninstalling or extracting apps, easily viewing all app components, and more!
Full control
Extract your apps in .APK and .APKS (Split APKs) formats and send them to your friends in any way you prefer. You can also uninstall any user apps without any problems.
It's all about the details
Skit provides a wealth of details about all user and system apps. A huge amount of detailed information, starting from the installation date and ending with a detailed report of apps memory usage.
App's hierarchy
Find out how any selected app works from the inside. The list of activities, manifest, providers, broadcasts events, services, used permissions, and even the details of the app's signature certificate are in your hands.
Even more features with the "Premium"
"Premium" users will have access to even more features, such as:
• Deep interface customization, including changing colors and themes;
• Apps usage reports to determine the amount of time spent in each app and the amount of data it consumes;
• Detailed statistics for all apps;
• Deletion and extraction of multiple apps;
• Analyzer of external apps using .APK files.
FAQ and localization
Looking for answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ)? Visit this page: https://pavelrekun.dev/skit/faq/
Want to help in Skit localization? Visit this page: https://crowdin.com/project/skit
Screenshots
Spoiler: Screenshots
Download
Basic version: Google Play
Premium version: Google Play

Will it uses root acess?? I think no.
But for deleting app i think its requires that

pankspoo said:
Will it uses root acess?? I think no.
But for deleting app i think its requires that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skit is not using root at all and it can delete installed (user) applications, but have no delete permissions for system applications.

That's nice But in future must add some root activities to do more things via this app any way nice one
https://youtu.be/Tb656b40SHA

how is it different and better from AppOps app?

It has a really unfortunate name as skit in Swedish means **** or poop.

isetnt said:
It has a really unfortunate name as skit in Swedish means **** or poop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, it's just a coincidence.

**Menos** said:
Believe me, it's just a coincidence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great thing! That's what I thought

Suggestion ; how about add a feature, like a list view, or sorting, or something like an indicator which tells which app is moveable to External Storage

syafeeq05 said:
Suggestion ; how about add a feature, like a list view, or sorting, or something like an indicator which tells which app is moveable to External Storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for feature request. I will add it in to-do list for future updates.

What about system apps with odex files?

Skit 1.1 is already out in Google Play for all users!
It contains new features: search of applications, launching specific activities and even more information about applications!
Read announcement: https://pavelrekun.dev/blog/skit_progress_report_may_2019/

The new big update after a short break is 1.4 Emily. This update adds even more sorting modes, an improved definition of memory usage, and many design improvements and bug fixes!
More details: https://pavelrekun.dev/blog/skit_progress_report_august_2019/

A new, really big update for Skit is here. Version 2.0 adds support for "App Bundle (Split APK)" extractions, fully new design, code highlight for Manifest viewer, and many more features! More details: https://pavelrekun.dev/blog/next_generation_of_skit/

If you always wanted to get the Premium version, now is the best time for it, because it got a -50% discount on Google Play.

Really awesome app, I can see activities, services, and permissions used by app. The dev is very responsive and takes bug reports very well. :good:

Skit Premium is on sale now with -50% discount in Google Play!

[APP] [5.0+] Warden - App Manager

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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Warden​
Disclaimer:
Code:
Warden uses root permission to enable/disable components & de-bloat.
Use at your own risk!
Features:
Detects Trackers & Loggers across whole device
Allows to disable all trackers/loggers
Advance profile based app de-bloater
How does it work?
Warden has a static curated list of known trackers (Exodus Privacy) , each app's dex file is read to retrieve the class names, these class names are then matched with the signatures of known trackers & loggers to find them.
A list of currently known trackers & loggers can be found here & here
Loggers in the context of Warden means all utilities which are used to log user activity on an app or logcat in general. Not all loggers are evil.
But few logging tools like ACRA, xLog are very powerful tools that can send user data to devs without user's consent.
So do read the app's Privacy Policy, beforehand.
De-Bloater (Requires Root)
Warden provides a profile based de-bloater where a profile is created in a format specified as in this sample scripts
You need to place this profile/your custom profile at `ExternalStorage/Warden/Profiles` to make them appear in app.
De-Bloater is an experimental feature, will improve it over time.
Default action for debloating is 'disable' you can configure it to 'uninstall' or 'hide' from settings.
Nuke it! (Requires Root)
Nuke it! is another experimental feature that scans all apps on the device and disables all know tracker components automatically.
It also gives an option to export components names per-app basis.
Components here means: Activities, Services, Providers & Receivers
Warden uses `su pm` to manage the components.
Downloads:
Latest:
View attachment AppWarden_v1.0.3.apk
Old:
View attachment AppWarden_v1.0.2.apk
View attachment AppWarden_v1.0.1.apk
Scripts: https://auroraoss.com/Warden/Scripts/
App: https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AppWarden/-/tags
XDA:DevDB Information
Warden, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
WhyOrean
Source Code: https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AppWarden
Version Information
Status: Stable
Current Stable Version: 1.0.1
Stable Release Date: 2020-06-24
Created 2020-06-23
Last Updated 2020-06-23

Changelog
v1.0.31. Optimized memory requirements
2. Reduced APK size by 45%
3. Added app sorting & filter
4. Added single click de-nuke option
5. Added option to exclude system app from nuke it.
6. Added in-app updater
7. Fixed cache residual issue
8. UI improvements & minor bugs
v1.0.2
1. Fixed Nuke it! cap to 4
v1.0.1
1. Initial Release

#Reserved for FAQ

Damn, awesome app :highfive:

This is the very best app you could possibly install. Great job!
EDIT: I wanted to take the opportunity to say hi to my mom, as I'm sure this thread will EXPLODE with comments, as this software is essential!

The app seems to freeze scanning Simple Pro.

Awesome!! Debloated, NUKED it!!! ? ?
Thank you so much!
I give it ten Stars **********

Thank you. So I created a a folder and subfolder on my SD card with the following path: Warden/Profiles. I put the .json file in there, but the app doesn't see it. Can someone tell me which folders and where I need to create to make this work?

enjoy_life said:
Thank you. So I created a a folder and subfolder on my SD card with the following path: Warden/Profiles. I put the .json file in there, but the app doesn't see it. Can someone tell me which folders and where I need to create to make this work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not on SD card but internal storage. Than in Warden tap menu->labs->debloat and chose profile to apply.
Good luck.

Bro, your app is simply awesome. A few remaining things to improve but not a Big deal.
Im already waiting for the pro version to support...
Good job

Great job! Thanks for sharing.

Beautifully designed app. One question. Is there an option to undo the "nuke it " feature?

Scanning of system apps hangs on this one: com.oneplus.telephonyoptimization

I'm already using adaway.
So does this app so more than adaway?
Could someone please help me out here.
Thanks.

badflife said:
I'm already using adaway.
So does this app so more than adaway?
Could someone please help me out here.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read OP. Logers and trackers are not same as ads. Apps can have hardcoded IPs of ads, logers, trackers, etc. Adaway can't help you with this. Apps like Warden or XPrivacyLua can help you by stopping "evil" actions in apps like apps from Google store.
Good luck.

It gets stuck scanning some apps like VLC
Edit: uninstalled VLC and got stuck at com.google.android.apps.pdfviewer

very interesting app!
thank you

Very good. Suggestion: report should indicate which app has how many trackers and how many of those are still enabled?

Thank you for this very useful app! I've noticed that during the scan /data/data/com.aurora.warden/cache/oat folder becomes huge with a bunch of odex files. Scanning for nearly 200 apps takes more than a GB on that folder, before getting stuck on VLC. Is this normal?

Amazing app.
Congratulations!!!