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Anti-Antidote@lemmy.zip to Privacy@lemmy.ml · 1 year ago

Why does my calculator need a privacy policy? It's a calculator!

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Why does my calculator need a privacy policy? It's a calculator!

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Anti-Antidote@lemmy.zip to Privacy@lemmy.ml · 1 year ago
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  • Hello_Kitty_enjoyer [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    stockpile on handhelds because soon even those are going to be data connected

  • Sludgehammer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Because it will be reporting how often you look at 8008135

    • WhatsHerBucket@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This ^

  • Uli@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    It’s got your number.

    • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      God damnit… Just take the upvote and go.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.worldBanned
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    1 year ago

    I can’t believe you use the calculator for 2x2! Do you need help from mathtutors.com? It’s only $5 per month but just for you we’re applying a special rebate which puts your offer at a much lower $12 per month.

    We also noticed that you calculated numbers near 700,000…are you try to buy a house? And also you keep dividing things by 9 and 12. Are you expecting a baby soon?

  • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    Who knows, maybe they’re required by Google to provide a privacy policy, like xscreensaver was

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Google is so far off the deep end of “cloud” shit and surveillance capitalism that the people running the Play Store can no longer even conceive of software that’s incapable of spying because it doesn’t connect to the Internet to begin with.

  • Einar@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    My recommendation: get rid of that app and go for a zero-tracker one:

    Calc You

    … or any other great FOSS calculator out there.

    • khannie@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Oh nice. Thank you. Installed.

  • GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Because Google Calculator collects everything, just like any other Google app (except for Pixel Launcher probably).

    • JillyB@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      I just checked mine and it has no permissions. How is it collecting everything?

  • Communist@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz
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    1 year ago

    I use opencalc, stick to FOSS software as much as humanly possible.

  • coffee_with_cream@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    We send your calculations to your fourth grade teacher

    • Boomkop3@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      Shows them with the “you’re not going to have a calculator everywhere” talk

    • pixelscript@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      [aggressive ruler-slapping in the distance]

  • ngwoo@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It just links to the overall Google privacy policy, in accordance with Play Store rules mandating privacy policy being easily accessible to users.

    The calculator app doesn’t request any permissions which you can check in settings

    • milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Alas, no permissions doesn’t fully mean no privacy intrusion/violation. For example, system permissions are not needed to track how many times you calculate 8008135, and upload that statistic together with your IP address to a public website.

      • TgxxNitro@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        Technically the network permission is required

        • milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          But basic internet permission is given to all apps without asking. Network permission allows things like talking on lan on other ports.

          To send data home only the general internet permission that every app has is needed. E.g. you ‘download’ an ‘image’ from https://stupidcompany.com/userbob/8008137_210x_in_24h/alsoclearlynot1337

          • pirat@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            But basic internet permission is given to all apps without asking.

            But it really shouldn’t be! And GrapheneOS, at least, always asks the user when installing apps that want network permission. If the user doesn’t plan on using any network-based features of the app, they can simply decline.

  • JayK117@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    Because someone wants to know if you use the calculator to spell boobies (8008135)

    • cheese_greater@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      scandalous

  • z00s@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    They want to know if you type in 8008135

  • unrushed233@lemmings.world
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    1 year ago

    Because it’s Google’s proprietary garbage app. Use FOSS alternatives from F-Droid instead.

    • delirious_owl@discuss.online
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      1 year ago

      I’d rather have a Foss project with a simple privacy policy that clearly says they store nothing than one that has no policy at all

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
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        1 year ago

        Privacy policies are BS anyway. Better to just not have an app that depends on a server or entity.

      • unrushed233@lemmings.world
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        1 year ago

        A privacy policy is only legally required when you actually collect user data. Most devs don’t write a privacy policy for no reason, so seeing one can often be suspicious. Btw if you are worried about a FOSS app tracking you without disclosing it in their privacy policy, if this is the case, F-Droid would display it under the Anti-features section.

    • qaz@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Do you happen to know a good alternative to Google’s Clock app on F-Droid?

      • Cicraft@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        https://f-droid.org/packages/com.xlythe.minecraftclock/

      • unrushed233@lemmings.world
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        1 year ago

        Yes, I use and recommend Clock You: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.bnyro.clock/

        +1 for the Minecraft Clock mentioned in another comment tho

    • pirat@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      CalcYou seems great, and it’s on F-Droid.

  • helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    A privacy policy could literally say “our policy is to track and store nothing”. Having one does not make it evil.

    In the case of Google, I would not be surprised if it stays running in the background using a relatively large amount ram just for fun.

    • stupidcasey@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      while True(): youtube.background.play( video=rick_astly_nggyu, exclusive_ads_mode = true, audio=mute )

    • sushibowl@feddit.nl
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      1 year ago

      In this case, it redirects to Google’s general privacy policy that covers all their services. Anyway Google’s calculator stores a history of all the calculations you did in your account somewhere. So I guess it needs to have a policy stating what they do with that data.

      • Takatakatakatakatak@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        It’s shit like this that makes me want to never use another Google app or service.

        What possible justification is there for storing history of calculations in a calculator app?

        • InternetUser2012@lemmy.today
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          1 year ago

          At some point somewhere, someone is going to figure something out with what you typed into it and advertise something to you.

        • irreticent@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I’m not saying I agree with their justification but I could see why they might be collecting yet another data point: education level. If someone constantly uses a calculator for simple calculations they might have a low education level. People in that demographic will be served different ads than more educated people.

          It sucks, but I could see Google doing that.

  • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Is it free?

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