Privacy features in Touch (cyanogenmod)?

[Matthew Paul Thomas]

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Daniel Hollocher wrote on 22/06/13 16:31:
> ...
> 
>> This is poor design. Of all the time you spend with an app, the 
>> moment you're about to install it is the moment when you know
>> the least about it. So it's the moment when you're least able to
>> make informed decisions about granting those privileges.
> ...
> 
>> On Ubuntu, an app will request a privilege during runtime.
> 
> What I see you saying is that by the time I've just begun to use
> the app, I will have a better sense of what the app does, and
> therefor know what privileges to grant.

Not necessarily "just begun". For example, you might have been playing
a game for minutes or hours before you encounter the "Tweet this high
score" button.

> But that isn't the case for me.  Once I've started the app, I'm
> still trying to figure out what it does (even a simple game).  So I
> would just allow all privileges given that I don't know how to make
> a better decision and I at least want to make sure that the app
> works.  I think in general, once I have decided to start installing
> an app, I've also decided that I trust the app.

I'm not interested in encouraging people to decide that they trust an
app before they've even figured out what it does. Criminy.

> So, here is an alternative: before installation.  Have the needed 
> permissions displayed on the installation page, along side the
> ratings and forum discussions and app description.  That way, if
> there is some permission that doesn't make sense, I can go straight
> to the comments section to see any discussion about it. (and make
> permissions something I can search against, that way I can filter
> away unwanted permission takers).

That isn't an alternative; it's the Android model I described in the
first place.

> ...
> 
> PS - I think there is a wider issue of incorrectly assuming that 
> giving users finer grained control over privacy will grant greater 
> privacy.  For some users, it has the opposite affect: it
> overwhelms them with difficult questions, leading to "yes to all"
> types of behavior.

I agree. Prompting before install would effectively require a "Yes to
all" response, which would in turn encourage app developers to request
privileges they don't need.

- -- 
mpt

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