Aps and access to info

[dmaert]

I have recently purchased a Droid X which is my first smart phone. Can you tell me why some of the aps require access to so much information and some only require Internet access? I want to make sure my Gmail contacts stay secure to me only.

I hope I have posted this question in the correct place, if not forgive me. I am a new to this.

 

[boatmark]

"News" App & Access to Data

I to would like to get more on this. As an example the app "News" is loaded onto the phone by Motorola (according to a Verizon Rep and not denied by a Motorola rep). The warnings for this app include: This application can access the following on your phone:
Your personal information: Read contact data, read owner data, write contact data, write owner data
Your accounts: Act as an account authenticator, manage the accounts list, use the authentication credentials of an account

The Motorola staff person said this was generic (it isn't); it is something a 3rd party does AND after a 5 minute search he could not tell me who the 3rd party provider is.

For me, this means stay away from the News app!

 

[harrellj]

The permissions an app requests are based off of what it does, so an app like Tasker that lets you automate a lot of your phone requires a lot more access than say a wallpaper app that just needs to talk to the server and store files to your SD card.

Use Permissions to Secure Your Private Data from Android Apps - android, android apps, android apps stealing data, android malware, android permissions, app permissions, guest-post, locale, malicious apps, personal data, Privacy, private data, securi is a decently good description of the different permissions.

If you're not certain about an app, read the comments (and not just the first couple, go fairly far back and keep an eye on them). Also, sites like appbrain.com and androlib.com have their own separate commenting system with helpful information as well. If you're really not certain, feel free to ask, there's enough people here to have tried a large number of apps.

 

[event121]

News is part of Blur. Blur manages your accounts. Thus it needs access to these items. Just because the app needs access doesn't mean it will steal your info. It may need that permission b/c it works with a part of your phone that is integrated with the access it is requesting.

 

[Backnblack]

If your going to be paranoid about what permissions apps ask for you'll have very few apps installed.

 

[takeshi]

I have recently purchased a Droid X which is my first smart phone. Can you tell me why some of the aps require access to so much information and some only require Internet access? I want to make sure my Gmail contacts stay secure to me only.

I hope I have posted this question in the correct place, if not forgive me. I am a new to this.

Name the specific apps and the permissions that the apps are requesting that you're concerned about. Vague questions like this are difficult to answer other than to tell you to read up on permissions. You can't always assume you know why an app is requesting a given permission just based on the name of the permission. It's not always that straightforward.