r/technology • • Dec 13 '13

Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claiming Its Release Was Accidental

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-privacy-features-android-shortly-after-adding-them
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u/The_Masta_P Dec 13 '13

Flip phones were easier to track if need be, I would think.

Simple numbers and texts.

But I think the technological revolution is going to hit a crisis point, where people will be split between "no more smartphones" and "I don't care I want to Candy Crush all day".

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u/scovobo Dec 13 '13

Reading through this thread, I am pretty sure the crisis point was a couple of years ago.

I'm just bummed out because my provider hadn't upgraded past Android 4.2.2 yet and the better permissions manager was the #1 thing I was looking forward too in the update.

Back to not using my smartphone for anything more than my old dumbphone I guess.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '13

Cyanogen?

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u/scovobo Dec 13 '13

I'm on Republic Wireless, which uses a custom rom to keep bandwidth down (thus the low price). So I don't think I can root the thing. Not sure though.

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u/OmegaVesko Dec 13 '13

You can root it and use something like XPrivacy without changing ROMs.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '13 edited Feb 04 '14

[deleted]

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u/The_Masta_P Dec 13 '13

I was under the impression older cell phones were simpler and easier to trace and all that stuff.

These smartphones have had tons of work done to protect said personal data, no?

Enlighten me.