Droid Incredible Secretly Tracks Surfing Habits?

[exfileme]

Buyer beware: HTC's Sense UI may have a potentially serious security issue on Android smartphones.

Droid Incredible Secretly Tracks Surfing Habits? : Read more

 

[itpro]

Android secretly tracks your browsing habits? Hello! Android is Google! Of COURSE it tracks your browsing habits. That's what Google does.

 

[shanky887614]

google chrome anyone?

exsactly same thing with there browser

 

[kyeana]

[citation][nom]itpro[/nom]Android secretly tracks your browsing habits? Hello! Android is Google! Of COURSE it tracks your browsing habits. That's what Google does.[/citation]

As the article says, the problem is within HTC's sense UI, which isn't part of the 'stock' android OS that google ships.

 

[tokenz]

Um I just checked my htc hero and it has bookmark.thumbs. You know why it doesnt delete it from the phone? Because its not stored on the phone its stored on your SD card.

 

[whitecrowro]

That's what Google usually does.

 

[Guest]

Since the screen shots CAN be deleted, would you tell us how to do it, please

 

[tokenz]

Use a file manager to explore to the sd card. Open .1bookmarks.thumb. delete away.

 

[cacolaco]

If you lost your wallet or purse, somebody could see your personal information!

I'm sorry, but I just hate it when every little bit of news gets blown out of proportion. Articles like this are just attention grabbing flame bait. Sure, give us the information, but don't make like this "is exactly why custom UIs are bad".

 

[Repelsteeltje]

They ought to check who came up with this genius implementation and fire him/her and his/her manager on the spot.

And it's not like using your wallet or purse, since most consumers wouldn't know or even assume about this data being stored indefinitely.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

I looked I don't have this folder under emmc and I checked other folders nothing there related to this.

 

[kyeana]

[citation][nom]Repelsteeltje[/nom]They ought to check who came up with this genius implementation and fire him/her and his/her manager on the spot.And it's not like using your wallet or purse, since most consumers wouldn't know or even assume about this data being stored indefinitely.[/citation]
You have obviously never done any computer development work. Bugs happen, it comes with the territory. If you want to fire every employee who codes something that has a bug in it AND their manager, better get used to doing everything in pen and paper.

Seesh, people these days! One minor thing (that doesn't get noticed until 8 months after the release of Sense UI, assuming the bug has been present sense day 1) and it's the end of the world.

 

[etichi]

Hey

 

[etichi]

I ask kyeanna this:

If apple was doing this would your response be the same?

 

[kyeana]

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Minor? That's not minor.[/citation]


[citation][nom]etichi[/nom]I ask kyeanna this:If apple was doing this would your response be the same?[/citation]

@etichi Yes. This isn't some sensitive data being passed around for everyone to see. This is having some pictures of websites that you visited stored on your phone? It's not like it is going to wait until you enter your SSN to take the snapshot, it's just going to grab a picture and cache it the first time you go to a website (i assume).

So if someone buys your phone after you wiped it, and knows exactally where to look, they can see some of the places you like to go on the web. Woop di do! Now if it was grabbing passwords / SSN's / credit card numbers, it would be a different story.

 

[ordcestus]

i don't really understand how this bug could happen and why its resistant to a factory reset? definitly the strangest bug i've ever heard of. anyone have one stranger?

 

[house70]

what if one does a card format? did they try that? it's not specified in the article.
on my N1 i have the vanilla android, no custom UI. the best.

 

[shovenose]

lol.
+1 iphone

 

[house70]

[citation][nom]shovenose[/nom]lol.+1 iphone[/citation]
this is not about the iphone, troll.

 

[JonnyDough]

This really doesn't surprise me. Chrome/Android is Google's first attempt at operating systems. People on the same plan using different phones and different numbers have had people they never called dialed up somehow. There are definitely some weird things happening on Droid phones that don't seem to have been realized or addressed. And every company tries to track people these days. Information is free money, all you have to do is record and sell it.