Google removes a privacy feature in Android 4.4.2 ... - Android Help

Electronic Frontier Foundation – hereinafter EFF – recently praised the inclusion of an “important” role Privacy for applications that had been detected in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean . One feature that allowed users to install apps and prevent them from collecting or accessing sensitive information on the user’s location or contacts. Well, shortly after flattery, EFF has discovered that this functionality is missing in the update to Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

deleted feature

said the last known mobile operating system Google version named ‘App Ops ‘ and those options that became available to users for years have offering owners smartphones Apple . In response to questions from the EFF about removing functionality from Mountain View has been argued that inclusion in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean was “accidental” and not was expected that formed part of the OS.

The EFF asks

around Google ‘App Ops’ and to accompany other measures

The fact that users can not modify application permissions at will has been received as very bad news for the Electronic Frontier Foundation has wasted no time in applying to Google his return to Android and take the chance to do it together with other protections that qualify as “critical”, including the possibility that the user can deny network access to certain applications that would not necessarily require Internet included – flashlight, calculators, and the like – or the ability off with a simple switch comprehensive collection traces Many applications store data as owner of the phone number, IMEI or information about user accounts, inter alia device.

the other hand, also asking for better integration and optimization ‘App Ops’ in the user interface and the Android operating system own, either by including it in the application menu in the configuration or as an installable application from Google Play . In this sense, the EFF also not put too much in the field of ‘big G’.

Returning to the disappearance

‘App Ops’ Android 4.4.2 KitKat and what this means, the EFF has reached advise against installing the latest version of the mobile operating system but, despite this, they have admitted that includes security enhancements as the solution to the bug allowing DoS attacks, so have ended leaving the decision in the hands of users who are, after all, who should be able to always decide.

Source: EFF Via: BGR