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1957 points apokryptein | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.22s | source
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zzo38computer ◴[] No.42911646[source]
Even just to look at the picture near the top (which is also repeated near the bottom), if you do not allow the app to track you that only disables one of the items of the information and not all of them. This is explained later in the document, that it is not explained very well to end users. I agree that it could be explained better. Perhaps, "Allow app to track your activity..." can have a option to display a more elaborate description, explaining that it only affects the Advertising Tracking ID (and what that means) and has no effect on other methods of tracking.

And, looking further in the document, we can see there is more.

Some of them, such as IP address and timestamp it is reasonable to use for programs that access the internet (although it should be possible for the user to set up a proxy and/or adjust the clock in order to change these things, the server would still use its own timestamp anyways).

Available memory also makes sense to be readable (although ideally, the user should be allowed to limit the amount of memory available to specific programs, in order that there is enough memory remaining for other programs; the reported total memory should then include only the memory available to this program and not to all programs), and the same should be true of the number of CPU cores and the amount of available disk space.

Others probably should not normally be known by most programs (but some are usefulf or some kind of programs), and even when they are, the operating system ought to allow users to reprogram what information is available and what filters, logging, etc will be used.

The presence of wired headphones probably should not be accessible by software, and the redirection should be handled by hardware. Perhaps an exception makes sense if the settings need to be different, e.g. mono vs stereo, although even then, programs should only see those settings (and only if they have audio output), and the user should be allowed to override them due to preferences (e.g. some users might want mono even if connected to external speakers or headphones; on my computer sometimes only one speaker works and sometimes both, so it is useful to me to be able to switch to mono).

Furthermore, there is the consideration, if the advertisers/spies are stealing your power and network bandwidth and quota in order to do these things; then, that is theft.

replies(2): >>42912036 #>>42912375 #
1. secondcoming ◴[] No.42912375[source]
> if the advertisers/spies are stealing your power and network bandwidth and quota in order to do these things

They're not. The app developer is.