Google removes a Hidden Privacy feature!
If you haven’t heard, the last week Google removes a hidden privacy feature in the new upcoming Kitkat build to help keep apps such such as this flashlight app that sold users data without your permission! I am quite concerned with what happenes when another app does this or something else and you have no way to deny it or not use it. Some of the things that I am sure your wondering like I am are the very things that come to mind. Then Google tells it users that this was an accidental release of the feature and that it isn’t ready for public consumption.
Keep in mind the privacy feature wasn’t well known or even that easy to get to. You had install another app such as App Ops to even get to use this little known menu in Android 4.3+.
App Dev
The people behind the apps are probably up in arms because they worry that they won’t be able to make money on their apps that are using advertising to help pay them for each time someone sees an advertisement or when a users clicks on an advertisement they get some kind of revenue. This isn’t the only reason but I am sure it is one of the top reasons why the development gurus would be up in arms over this new way to control what permissions an app can have and who ultimately has control over what they can and do with your app. It was and probably soon will be the customer who decides what the app will have permissions for and that worries them.
Google apps will become paid!
The one thing that will happen for sure is that we will either have to pay a monthly service or a one time fee for an app because once this starts to be released or if it is released then the app developers will have no choice but to go to a pay wall model to get the money they probably think they deserve and/or want for their work. I am sure we haven’t seen the last of this and or other apps that do something similar. I would just like to have Google be more upfront to their customers about why.
