Amazon Underground

b/Gaming publicado por u/Araidia November 07, 2015, 01:06:48 AM

Amazon Underground

So this happened:
Amazon Underground

This is for Android. You can get free paid apps/games and the in-app purchases are free. It doesn't have all the games, but it's still pretty big. The downside is that it asks for more permissions than the NSA if they had an app*. I think it's really weird that Amazon is even doing this.

*The permissions requested are:
-Read phone status and identity
-Recieve test messages (SMS)
-send SMS messages(this may cost you money)
-Take pictures and videos
-record audio
-approximate location (network-based)
-precise location (GPS and network-based)
-read your contacts
-modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
-read the contents of your USB storage
-add or remove accounts
-create accounts and set passwords
-find accounts and set passwords
-find accounts on the device
-use accounts on the device

Device Access(not important)

-connect and disconnect from Wi-FI
-full network access
-receive data from Internet
-view network connections
-view Wi-Fi connections
-control flashlight
-control vibration
-prevent phone from sleeping
-install shortcuts
-Read Home settings and shortcuts
-uninstall shortcuts

Why?

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u/Snektron November 07, 2015, 01:13:39 AM

Oh boy, here we go... *dex2jar.exe*
Nah jk its late i will do that tomorrow.

I heard FB wants all permissions too

u/CVSoft November 07, 2015, 01:26:27 AM

Well the Facebook app listens to your IRL conversations so it can target ads at you, so...

u/calcplays November 07, 2015, 02:54:16 AM

Very interesting... there is a Kindle Fire in my house that has been almost unused since it was acquired. Perhaps I should use that to venture into the Amazon Underground.
The permissions don't seem too devious. They are probably just for advertising purposes (like Facebook) or technical reasons.

For developers, it seems that Amazon has required that in all other stores, the "free" application costs money. Developers are also paid a tidy .2 American cents ($.002) per minute of app usage.

u/Dream of Omnimaga November 07, 2015, 04:16:44 AM

This seems sketchy. To offer all of this for free legally, there must be some catch, and with all permissions that it asks then I wouldn't be surprised if it was like Windows 10 in terms of privacy-invasion or full of ads. I am also betting that eventually a lot of the free games will still have a lot of paid DLC/micropayment-related stuff.

u/Ivoah November 07, 2015, 04:19:53 AM

Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on November 07, 2015, 04:16:44 AM
This seems sketchy. To offer all of this for free legally, there must be some catch, and with all permissions that it asks then I wouldn't be surprised if it was like Windows 10 in terms of privacy-invasion or full of ads. I am also betting that eventually a lot of the free games will still have a lot of paid DLC/micropayment-related stuff.

It can't be too sketchy, considering it's Amazon.

u/Dream of Omnimaga November 07, 2015, 04:52:38 AM

Yeah I meant more in the way that even big companies sometimes have marketing tactics to lure customers with insane deals but in fact there are always catches. Eg like those rebates at stores, only to find out in tiny characters that it's a mail-in rebate or that you need to get the store's credit card.

u/alexgt November 07, 2015, 06:19:39 AM

Definitely seems weird for Amazon to do that

, skynet is coming

u/novenary November 07, 2015, 10:22:13 AM

And that is why you should run CyanogenMod. It has a feature that allows you to block applications from accessing data you don't want them to.

u/Hayleia November 07, 2015, 12:34:14 PM

Quote from: Streetwalrus on November 07, 2015, 10:22:13 AM
And that is why you should run CyanogenMod. It has a feature that allows you to block applications from accessing data you don't want them to.

Yeah but CyanogenMod are annoying with updates that break the most important things. I used to be able to apply themes on the navbar but now it doesn't work anymore, since the 6th of October iirc. But since updates after that date fixed Stagefright flaws, I had to update...
(Yes, theming the navbar for me is more important than what I read in the changelog, like who cares about "turn screen off before rebooting" ?)

u/novenary November 07, 2015, 12:45:44 PM

I dunno, I don't update CM as often this far into the development process, it's slowed down a lot now (especially with CM13 around the corner), and no security fixes were announced. Since it's stable it's fine for me. Also I don't use themes.

u/DarkestEx November 08, 2015, 12:26:02 PM

I fell for Amazon underground and I like being able to download paid apps for free.
Sure, they know more about me now and know what apps I like and I have to keep their app installed to keep getting updates (I guess these and that it gives them good reputuation are their motivations to do this offer).
But overall it was worth it, having 20€ to spend on free apps.

u/Dream of Omnimaga November 18, 2015, 03:13:29 AM

What I hope is that if the service isn't profitable enough that they won't shut it down and that people won't lose all the apps they got. >.<

u/c4ooo November 28, 2015, 11:56:42 PM

Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on November 18, 2015, 03:13:29 AM
What I hope is that if the service isn't profitable enough that they won't shut it down and that people won't lose all the apps they got. >.<

They probably make money by selling the information to third parties, which is why they need all the permissions

u/DarkestEx November 29, 2015, 12:09:14 AM

Quote from: c4ooo on November 28, 2015, 11:56:42 PM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on November 18, 2015, 03:13:29 AM
What I hope is that if the service isn't profitable enough that they won't shut it down and that people won't lose all the apps they got. >.<
They probably make money by selling the information to third parties, which is why they need all the permissions

No they ain't. They are not selling our data but they collect them for themselves to show personalized product suggestions. Amazon makes money themselves by getting a fixed percentage of the revenue of each item bought on the platform.
Also app stores always need more as they need to install, download, manage apps and verify if they are bought legally.