Questions tagged [privacy]

For questions related to enforcing you privacy on Android devices

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Got recommend YouTube videos that my friend is watching from his offline laptop

So, my friend was watching a movie. His laptop was offline for the last 2 days. When I opened my YouTube, I got recommended a scene from the same movie. It is highly unlikely to be a probable incident....
sartaj ansari's user avatar
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0 answers
26 views

About Data safety section in Play store?

In the "Data safety" section of apps in Play Store, when it shows Data collected: photos and videos or Data shared: photos and videos. What does it mean? Or if some apps do not show it, ...
Zai's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
39 views

How do I physically remove the radio chips on a phone?

I recently dived down into the world of privacy and looked at how many privacy advocates would physically remove the microphones and cameras on their phones by desoldering them. However, when I ...
isaac de'snuts's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Unsual Firewall Traffic from Phone and Messaging Storage Group

I'm using Rethink DNS to monitor traffic. I'm curious as to why the 'Phone and Messaging Storage' group would be reaching out to google domains in addition to app.hubspot.com. Attached are the ...
humanPerson's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
105 views

Why does Firefox app connect to Facebook sites very often according to TrackerControl?

I noticed for a while using the app TrackerControl that Firefox connects to Facebook sites very often while I surf the web, for example a simple search on Google, or a search on Startpage.com which ...
bonzo's user avatar
  • 31
3 votes
1 answer
30 views

Remove devices from 2FA of Google sign in

I have 7 devices (mostly tablets and smartphones) where I am logged in with my Google account. However, 4 of those devices I usually take to shows/concerts and I am afraid of someone stealing them or ...
user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
37 views

Blocking specific app notifications access is cleared after app update

This behavior is consistent both on real Pixel devices running the latest version of Android 13 and on emulated devices running Android 13 in Android Studio. A specific app, let’s call the app “X”, ...
Evolve_or_Die's user avatar
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0 answers
62 views

What are some ways to prevent an application from getting a device "fingerprint"?

Despite using a VPN, an application natively running on an Android device can get lots of information about its host (like hardware IDs or SIM card information) which defeats the whole point of using ...
infinitieunique's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
41 views

How to give an app permission to see a subset of contacts

Some apps require access to my contacts list in order to function (e.g. WhatsApp). I am concerned about the privacy implications of giving permission to apps to see my entire contacts list, which may ...
Flux's user avatar
  • 101
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0 answers
96 views

"Read phone status and identity" privacy issue

Multiple apps released in my country require the android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE permission which means not only they get to know my phone number, they also get my IMEI. My second concern is that ...
Artem S. Tashkinov's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
52 views

DuckDuckGo App Tracking Protection

As you might be aware duckduckgo recently launched there app tracking protection to block hidden trackers account apps in the device. Link: app-tracking-protection Now, I have been running this ...
Nitish's user avatar
  • 101
2 votes
0 answers
200 views

Firefox for Android: How to specify timezone ≠ UTC with `privacy.resistFingerprinting=true`?

I use Firefox for Android (Mull). I have "resist fingerprinting" (privacy.resistFingerprinting in about:config) enabled. That results in Firefox being forced to report its time in UTC to ...
Golar Ramblar's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
75 views

Local contacts only under Android 11?

I'm using Android 11 on my rooted Pixel 5 phone. It turns out that the Contacts app under this OS does not allow access of device-only contacts. I can only access contacts via a shared Google account. ...
HippoMan's user avatar
  • 511
-1 votes
1 answer
765 views

Can an app access my browser history from other apps?

I've always thought that if an app has to get access to certain information on your phone, you have to give it permission in the "permissions" settings in phone settings. However, on Google ...
Ole H's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
41 views

The Android system can access the microphone when it is used?

The android blocks multiple aplications using the microphone at same time, for example, but the internal apps or the system can have access to it even on use? I'm asking this question because I want ...
thisago's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
650 views

How to completely remove Google from an Android device?

So tired of Google running in the background even when I block it. Installing unauthorized apps. Monitoring and snooping. It's involved in many places and not security minded. I am for privacy and I ...
Aftrnow33's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
604 views

How to revoke all authorizations (to private data) given to Xiaomi in MIUI?

On Xiaomi Mi Note 10 there are three prompts asking for authorizations: When opening Bereinigung (the stock cleaning app; I tried using that because I still can't delete caches with Xiaomi Mi Note 10)...
themobileproblem's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
299 views

How do I know if files have been copied from my phone to a laptop via USB. Knowing I gave permission for file transfer

I connected my phone to someone's laptop so they could give me a certain file but I'm suspecting they used the opportunity to copy files from my phone to their device. Is there any chance a log is ...
Nour Habra's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
62 views

Why does this app from F-droid ask for location?

I find Syncopoli interesting for backup of own data. It's like rsync for the phone. But it asks for location and I wonder why would the app need it? I'm not terribly paranoid, I'm just privacy aware.
Quora Feans's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
568 views

ADB/PM command to disable data and wifi access for Apps

Is there a way via adb shell to disable an apps access to WiFi and Data? I'd like to turn off internet for all apps and then selectively turn it on for required apps. I know the manual way by going to ...
0fnt's user avatar
  • 141
1 vote
0 answers
90 views

Turn off section called "new" in Google Photos app

When I want to show pics to people, Google Photos first shows whatever is "new", for instance "Screenshots" below: It is often unflattering. Question: How to remove the "new&...
Nicolas Raoul's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why does Phone Link require internet access?

I noticed that Microsoft's Phone Link app does not work without an internet connection. Some other apps discover and connect directly to your mobile device via your local Wifi or USB. I am concerned ...
Jasper Citi's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

Is it safe to give accessibility permission to an app?

So I use the app from Cleanbrowsing and gave the accessibility permission to it and saw that it can view my screen, action and inputs, perform actions and control the display. Is this app even safe to ...
fkjdxyz's user avatar
  • 77
2 votes
0 answers
53 views

What are all those different localhost domains that apps connect to?

I'm using the Blokada adblocker on my phone, which acts as a vpn and can show me all the domains that apps request to connect to and let me switch them between an accept list and a deny list. Whenever ...
elyuku's user avatar
  • 21
0 votes
1 answer
291 views

Rescind 'find my device' location permission in Google account

I had lost my phone somewhere in the same room I was in. To make it ring in Google's find my phone feature, I had to give it full permission to process it's location data. How do I rescind these ...
Philippe's user avatar
  • 111
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How do Android apps access phone's simcard and determine the location/country without permission?

I noticed there are apps like Shazam or Tiktok that can find my location/country and offer local content even when I use VPN. my VPN doesn't have any IP/DNS leak. When I remove the simcard or make it ...
user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
74 views

How is Google Assistant listening all the time without a notification?

In Android, if an app wants to run in the background, it usually needs to create a service that runs in the background (and/or after boot is completed). So, if the app wants to listen to the ...
Jagar's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes
0 answers
37 views

Web browsers' privacy - how much does the OS know?

TL;DR: When using 3rd-party web browsers (e.g. Firefox), how much does the OS (Android) know about the user's activities? Most information on the internet about privacy-focused web browsers focuses on ...
zire's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
0 answers
13 views

Does a bank see email address of a Google account if I add a credit card to google pay

If I add a credit card to my Google pay what Google account details is my bank able to see if any?
infinitieunique's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
98 views

Encryption and deleted data

I have a galaxy S8 using "default password" meaning no startup password or secure start up. The device is still encrypted by default so all data should not be recoverable after a factory ...
Question's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
121 views

Do Google & OEMs always have backdoors in Android devices?

In a helpful comment on this Android Stackexchange question, prominent contributor alecxs states: google and OEMs will always have own backdoors in propritary [sic] blobs for baseband/modem etc - you ...
RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
224 views

Privacy of in-app purchases: how much user data does the app developer get?

When a you do an in-app purchase like buying a feature or subscription the the app and the developer is getting data on your purchase. I searched a bit the Google documentation but I wasn't able to ...
Robert's user avatar
  • 18.5k
0 votes
0 answers
276 views

How to prevent network connectivity after a phone restart before the NetGuard firewall starts blocking apps' traffic?

There seems to be a major vulnerability in Android: even when using firewalls these aren't active immediately after a restart. The seconds before the firewall (NetGuard) starts can be used by apps ...
mYnDstrEAm's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
314 views

Facebook whitehat settings

I am trying to enable Facebook whitehat to test the Facebook Android app. I went here: https://facebook.com/whitehat/researcher-settings I click "Enable the Whitehat Settings menu for your ...
Zombo's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
0 answers
538 views

Suspicious data usage by apps

Here are a list of apps that I found on my phone: Now all of these apps seem to be preinstalled as they aren't device administrators and are impossible to disable or uninstall. They all seem to be ...
Alan Whitteaker's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
26 views

Do keyboard apps which are enabled but not selected have access to input text?

I installed a keyboard app on Android 6 and when enabling it, the OS showed a warning that the keyboard app has access to input text. Since the warning appeared on enabling, not selecting, this ...
qdinar's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
0 answers
55 views

What info/data can a fresh installed app without permission gather?

If I just install an app BUT DON'T OPEN it, can it do/get something? Maybe during installation process, even if I didn't open it yet? If I didn't give the app any permission, what can it do/know? Can ...
Allexj's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

Update linking path

How do I add a new directory to linking path? Meaning add a directory to where the dynamic linker will look for shared libraries. In Ubuntu you can create a .conf file under /etc/ld.so.conf.d and ...
Lite Riyusaki's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
75 views

How to obtain real VPN connection status (it claims to be connected in airplane mode / without internet)?

My Google Pixel 5 claims to have a VPN connection, although I enabled the airplane mode. How can I ever be sure that the VPN connection is really working then if I have an internet connection? I would ...
mgutt's user avatar
  • 143
0 votes
0 answers
2k views

How to stop Gboard from trying to 'update your typing experience'?

Since a recent upgrade, Gboard started to show notifications saying "Updating your typing experience". I have all network access of Gboard blocked with the NetGuard firewall, have all data-...
mYnDstrEAm's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
51 views

Is it possible to "freeze" applications so that they do not run unless "unfrozen" - essentially make them work only when they're in the foreground?

What it says on the tin. I'm used to a work partition, but since recent android versions don't support the required storage permissions (which means that I can't get data out of the work partition ...
Latex_xetaL's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
25 views

Can one add a virtual background with Cisco Webex and Google Duo with a Samsung Galaxy S21?

I read on https://www.sammobile.com/news/galaxy-s21-custom-backgrounds-video-calls-duo-teams-webex-zoom/: Galaxy S21 smartphones offer custom backgrounds during video calls via Cisco Webex, Google ...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
29 views

Is there a way to unaccept WhatsApp's new terms and privacy policy?

As you may know, WhatsApp's new terms and privacy policy are currently optional, as "we currently have no plans for these reminders to become persistent and to limit the functionality of the app&...
LWC's user avatar
  • 245
0 votes
0 answers
41 views

What are the limits/powers of android device policy?

I work in a university and when we want to login in our university email id, we go to gmail So we can also use our official email for creating account on android,but when i try to create account using ...
DSP_CS's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
0 answers
179 views

Application Isolation and access control

I want to prevent an app from knowing whether certain files or directories exist on a device. For instance, if the application have some code like: if (/system/lib/libJohnDoe.so){ print("yes&...
Lite Riyusaki's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
470 views

Launch app in chroot environment

I want to setup a chroot environment on my android x86 installation in which I can perhaps run or install various apks. Is there any way to launch an application in a custom chroot environment?
Lite Riyusaki's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
49 views

Can one add a virtual background with the latest version of Microsoft Teams on Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (US version)?

I read contradictory statements. E.g. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msteams/forum/all/background-effect-on-samsung-s21/8ecfca7a-d025-47ee-9cb7-abcea99fa68f: Hi, I just got my new Samsung S21 ...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
23 views

rooted lineageos: mount /sdcard as ext4 with support for ownership/permissions bits [duplicate]

It seems the partition corresponding to /sdcard is formatted as a FAT variant in android. As a result, it does not support ownership/permissions: /sdcard/Signal $ ls -lrth total 116M -rw-rw---- 1 root ...
Abhishek Anand's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
110 views

Connection to DoT server is not retried

I'm running my own DNS-over-TLS server under my domain (dns.example.com). On my Motorola G100, which is running Stock Android 11, I can set the private DNS to this domain and it works. This works on ...
burny's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

What kind of smartphone should I be buying if my one and only use is going to be "BankID"? [closed]

In Sweden, there's a bunch of very confusing "e-id" things, but it basically boils down to this: you need something called "Mobile BankID". In theory, there are other solutions, ...
Vattenmelon's user avatar

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