[LINK] A new way around end user privacy controls?

[Rick Welykochy]

Jan Whitaker wrote:

> This morning a member of the Link discussion group sent round a link
> to an apps enabler for Windows and Macs, called Bluestacks,
> http://www.bluestacks.com/. That software allows for the use of
> smartphone/tablet apps on a regular laptop. I decided I'd have a go,
> thinking I need even more time fillers/wasters (ha!). Here's what I
> discovered about how this works.
>
> The bluestacks software is actually a browser replacement as well as
> an Android installer. So if you go to the apps stores to login to get
> an app, you are provided with their software, say Angry Birds, and a
> link to the terms and conditions as well as the privacy policy for
> the company/app (if you look hard enough). If you read it, all those
> avoidance strategies we who care about privacy install in our
> browsers are no longer available because these apps are running in a
> 3rd party environment -- bluestacks. Of course the policy gives the
> app company the right to just about anything they want, just because
> they expose all that in the policy you have to agree to in order to
> use their software. To top that, the only reason I even saw the link
> to their policy was by clicking on an 'Info' icon and the screen that
> scrolls up as a result lists a link to the Privacy Policy and the
> License agreement. Better be quick, too, to click it.
>
> Another thing the bluestacks software does is automatically install
> Facebook. I was going to keep that, but then after discovering how
> the software actually works, deleted it. Trust Facebook outside a
> regular browser? No way. It also installs Twitter, which I haven't
> heard much about in terms of privacy problems, so I'll leave it for now.
>
> My quandary is what to do about the game I installed. I can uninstall
> it. But I can't protect myself from how it operates. I guess I could
> run it in sandbox. Hmmm... must give that some thought.
>
> Just thought I'd put this out there as a new point of tension.


Very interesting Jan, I was thinking about test driving the emulator
as well.

I don't really know what "installs Facebook" means. Is there an app
for that (non browser?)

For a near perfect sandbox, install a virtual machine such as
Parallels (Mac) or VMWare (Linux, Mac, PC). Then install Bluestacks
inside of that. A lot of work, unless you might find other uses
for the VM. I say near perfect since you will need to be careful
with what networking and file system sharing you enable inside
the VM. Safest: only enable networking to download and install the
software, then turn it off. And do not allow any file system shares
with the host running the VM.


cheers
rickw





-- 
------------------------------------
Rick Welykochy || Vitendo Consulting


The glass is broken.
      -- Buddha