Comments on: Deciphering Permissions: “Read Phone State and Identity” http://www.womenwithdroids.com/2011/03/deciphering-permissions-read-phone-state-and-identity/ Articles by Women with Android Phones Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:16:43 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Arly http://www.womenwithdroids.com/2011/03/deciphering-permissions-read-phone-state-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-23238 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:25:43 +0000 http://www.womenwithdroids.com/?p=2311#comment-23238 Nice article. Have you had any chance to review Privacy Blocker? I downloaded it due to privacy concerns. My cell number should not be available to just anyone. The unique device ID should be sufficient. Right now, the app seems to be a hit or miss. Sometimes it works and other times it fails. It’s on sale for $1.99. At this point, I’m glad I didn’t pay the normal price since it’s been a bit disappointing. I hope the dev fixes it. Funny thing is I’ve been searching for more info about this app and read a comment from another website asking “who is policing the police?” Since you’re a programmer you may have more insight to this.

I read about the issue with Pandora. Their goal with target advertising has caused them to sell out…sell out personal info of their users. It left me wondering about all the apps out there that have access to read_phone_state and identity. It’s not a good thing when telemarketers call my mobile or send spam SMS.

]]> By: Angie http://www.womenwithdroids.com/2011/03/deciphering-permissions-read-phone-state-and-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-22397 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:25:15 +0000 http://www.womenwithdroids.com/?p=2311#comment-22397 This is GREAT information! I have been trying to figure this stuff out for myself for a bit now when I stumbled across this article. I haven’t looked this one up yet but I have an app that requests “Your Location” as a permission to update. This would be fine if it had something to do with my navigation app, but its a game where you find the differences in pictures! WTH!? Why in the world would THAT app need to access my location!? Another one I am worried about is my Pandora internet radio app. It needs an update but is requesting new permissions like “Network Communication(full internet access, create bluetooth connections…this last one I have a problem with), System Tools (modify global system settings, prevent phone from sleeping, bluetooth administration, change Wi-Fi state, change netowrk connectivity….almost all of these I have a problem with), Your Personal Information (Read contact data, add or modify calendar events and send email to guests…..WTF!!!??), and the one this article covers. I am not so sure I am willing to update this app and I may just delete it because of these permissions. I really wish the app developers would be less cryptic about the use of these permissions and as you said, why aren’t they required to make it an OPTION? Like the way many online programs try to spoon feed you Google Chrome or things of that nature but you can easily opt out by reading through before you download the program and uncheck the “Install this as well” box. I do have another question about these new permissions and updating an app. I know with other programs on a computer, some updates make the program run more smoothly or fix bugs, or even make security better. So my question is, are any of the app updates that are requesting all these new permissions geared in this direction? Is it possible you will be less secure or more prone to malicious attack on your phone if you have an app you regularly use, but don’t update it because of the permissions? I tend to err on the side of paranoia. Just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean there aren’t men in black suits out to get me, heh.

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