I wonder if it can make reservations?
Posted on 07/21/2018 6:34:53 PM PDT by vannrox
Three dominant Chinese map app companies announced recently they’d put a stop to requiring users to share unnecessary personal information primarily around text messages and contact lists, a privacy issue revealed in a 2018 report regarding privacy concerns on mobile map apps.
The report, by Shanghai Consumer Council released on July 18, revealed that five map mobile apps, including AutoNavi, Baidu Map and Tencent Map, all seek to solicit sensitive personal data from users considered irrelevant for the apps to perform.
In response, the three companies said they’d release new versions that removed requests for collecting users’ irrelevant personal information, such as asking to obtain their cellphone contacts.
Baidu, the dominant Chinese search engine company, said in its written report submitted to the consumer watchdog that it would get rid of unnecessary requests for SMS permission in the upcoming version of its map app.
In addition, it would provide a “one-time only” ask for users’ permission on sensitive items like contact lists and text messages, in order to give users more control over what will and will not be collected.
Tencent, another leading Chinese Internet company and AutoNavi, a major Chinese mapping company also said it would stop asking for access to users’ contacts on their phone, and conduct self-assessment in the following days.
Another two app companies criticized by the consumer watchdog, Sougou and Mapbar, which allegedly bypasses users’ consent to collect personal data, have not yet announced plans to change their practices.
Mobile map apps are commonly used in China, an online survey shows.
The survey detailed 97.63 percent of interviewees have installed map apps on their phone; in addition, 40 percent have installed more than two of such apps, and seven percent have installed three.
Given the popularity, protection of personal data has become a main privacy issue concerning especially mobile map apps.
The Shanghai report has found that more than 80 percent of users fear the risk of personal information to be leaked via these map apps – among which 23.44 percent say they are “extremely worried.”
The watchdog says the key to improve is to further regulate the collecting and distributing of such data, given most Chinese users doesn’t know which specific personal information has been obtained or distributed unsafely.
There is NOT ONE elected official that takes defending and enforcing the Bill of Rights seriously.
Heck, you've got to have a friggin' communist country take the lead in on-line privacy protection. I don't know about youse guys, but there is something seriously wrong about that.
Earthmate.
announced recently they’d put a stop to requiring users to share unnecessary personal information
==+
Probably because they already have all that info.
No use overloading with redundant info.
4th amendment only applies to Government, not private companies.
However, I am in favor of regulating prevention of collection of user data if only to not allow that to be the “easy bank” of info which the fed gov goes to when it decides the 4th amendment doesn’t matter.
I also think I’m not getting the correct value for my clicking habits on the web. I’m also attempting to reduce, as much as I can, the random recording of my data as much as possible. That’s a free enterprise decision on my part.
I really don’t understand why so many apps require half of the possible permissions to run. I don’t download some because of this (I don’t even start to download many in the first place).
Most game apps - should require screen control to override your auto-sleep. Maybe internet access for some of them. But that’s it. The vast majority don’t need access to your contacts, GPS, messaging, ROOT ACCESS, access media, device ID, call log info, etc etc etc.
Wait. I’m using Google Maps, when I could be using a perfectly good Chinese map application? Why didn’t anyone tell me???
I wonder if it can make reservations?
When did “ask” become a noun? It used to be a verb...
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