

Show HN: Explore any Android app's permissions - bndw
http://appethics.org

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lovelearning
It's a good tool, certainly much better than the play store's almost hidden
"View permissions" link.

Perhaps it can be enhanced to take into account API level differences too,
since that sometimes has a significant impact on what the app is allowed to
do.

For example, READ_CONTACTS allows an application to read the user's contacts
data, but in IceCreamSandwich and lower, it also allows the app to read call
logs, which is an altogether different set of data in the eyes of an end user.

Combine that with INTERNET permission, and basically you have an app which can
send all your call logs to whomever it wants.

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bndw
Interesting, I did not realize READ_CONTACTS gave access to call logs in <=
IceCreamSandwich.

I wish Android used a permissions model similar to iOS, where the application
prompts the user for specific permissions as needed, rather than up front.

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lovelearning
Perhaps the most reliable way to know _exactly_ what all a permission allows,
is to write an analyzer tool that analyzes android platform sources and/or
bytecode looking for calls to permission APIs, creates a list of such calling
methods, and finally maps these callers to what data they affect.

Not sure if the underlying native binaries too use these permissions, but if
they do, they too can probably be analyzed.

I wonder if such a tool already exists.

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anilgulecha
For what it's worth: I've forever been on the lookout of an app that sits in
the background and informs users of bad apps -- and suggest cleaner
alternatives.

I'm tired of watching my non-technical family's phones slow down to a sludge
because of these apps. Give them a rotten tomatoes like score collected from
users, and pretty soon users will stop installing the low scored, ad filled,
battery hogging apps.

~~~
bndw
Thanks for the feedback, especially around the rating system.

I am planning on surfacing some type of rating or score, derived from the
required permissions, in the near future.

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chrismcb
Cool site, but it doesn't seem to work. It doesn't display the same list that
the app displays. Reading the list the app displays looks scary. Reading the
list on the site makes it sem ok

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bndw
Can you provide more information? What app is giving you a discrepancy?

