[coolbold]

So I downloaded the preview from BlackBerry World. Upon running skype for the first time it wants access to everything in my Z10. Microphone, camera, sd card, contacts, device identifying information, gps, Internet shared files.

What is wrong with this picture?

It only needs Internet to send a message!

What other apps are available that can login to live messenger? Other than the $5 IM+?

Surely there must be a few with more than 100000 apps, right?

Posted via CB10

[LazyEvul]

Just went to look at Skype's permissions on my Z10:

Internet - Obvious one.
Contacts - To integrate Skype contacts into the Contacts app.
Shared Files - To send files to Skype contacts.
Device Identifying Information - This one is one I'm not 100% sure I understand, but I believe it's used by developers for analytics. A lot of apps ask for it, no big deal IMHO.
Microphone - Voice chat.
Camera - Video chat.

The only one I can't explain off-hand is the GPS Location, I'll have to dig around the app.

Update: Had a look around, still can't really figure it out. Shame that Android app permissions aren't customizable, but I've never seen the Skype app enable location services anyhow, so it certainly hasn't been leveraging that permission in my experience.

[coolbold]

Well, if you want, need voice chat and such, fine. I do not.

I don't plan on sending any files.

I use messenger for that only reason: Messages.

All my contacts are already on Microsoft messenger servers.

I'd say it's too much intrusion of users data.


Posted via CB10

[LazyEvul]

Well, if you want, need voice chat and such, fine. I do not.

I don't plan on sending any files.

I use messenger for that only reason: Messages.

All my contacts are already on Microsoft messenger servers.

I'd say it's too much intrusion of users data.


Posted via CB10

Then you'll have to look for another app. I seriously doubt Microsoft is going to be abusing those permissions, but if you feel like their intrusive, unfortunately there's not much you can do. All that extra functionality beyond instant messaging is an integral part of Skype, and even if the app were to go native and have customizable permissions, I wouldn't be surprised if it simply didn't work with them disabled.

If it helps, BlackBerry themselves released a Windows Live Messenger app, which will work until the Live Messenger protocol is shut down in March 2014. The functionality is quite limited, but if all you need is instant messaging, it should work nicely.

[coolbold]

I tried Microsoft live messenger. It fails. It says "an unknown error occurred ".

I was reading up on the skype settings on the desktop. Clearly they are going the Google way trying to hoard as much data as they can. There is a setting for targeted ads.

Posted via CB10

[Dajo Rodrigo]

Why do people care anyway? It is not that I am important enough to spy on. Plus you should keep in mind it is a free app, the trade off is to disclose some info. If all apps would ask the basics, there would be no free apps at all.

Posted via CB10

[dcbo89]

Honestly was disappointed it did not bring in any of my contacts and does not add my Skype contact info to my contact list.

Sd card is so you can receive voice messages and store them on the Sd card

Posted via CB10

[anon3700711]

Windows Live Messenger got shut down last month as it's been End Of Life'd. It's all Skype now.

Posted via CB10

[LazyEvul]

Windows Live Messenger got shut down last month as it's been End Of Life'd. It's all Skype now.

Posted via CB10

The messaging protocol used by WLM is actually still functional until March 2014. It's just the official clients have all been discontinued, but third-party clients can still connect to and use that protocol.

[Duffman19]

Lol again with the permission paranoia. Yes I'm sure Microsoft will track you

Posted via CB10

[anon3700711]

The messaging protocol used by WLM is actually still functional until March 2014. It's just the official clients have all been discontinued, but third-party clients can still connect to and use that protocol.

What's the point? Unless you get your friends to use a third-party client like Trillian. All of my friends either use Facebook or Skype these days, in the end only had 3 active MSN friends. It's a dead platform, leave it.

Posted via CB10

[LazyEvul]

What's the point? Unless you get your friends to use a third-party client like Trillian. All of my friends either use Facebook or Skype these days, in the end only had 3 active MSN friends. It's a dead platform, leave it.

Posted via CB10

Oh I know that, and personally I've made the transition to Skype, but I was just pointing out that it's not quite dead yet.

[trynacu2]

I do wish we could change the Android app permissions because a lot them dont need access to GPS location or my pin.

Posted via CB10

[coolbold]

Don't get me wrong.

It's not just about me. When you give out all your contacts to Skype or Google, or whatever, you also are making a decision for all of them to be listed in their advertising campaigns and who knows what else.

Now, some may not care either, but I would think others do want to keep their privacy, and maybe want nothing to do with Google for example. So against their will, you basically give them up.

Kind of like going to a movie, and before you can go in you must give up 30 names and addresses to the attendant, so you can enter.

Now a week after, all your 30 friends start getting harassed by this theater.

The theater might even sell their list to whoever wants to buy them and off they go.

Kind of like those sweepstakes, you know, to participate enter your full name address, and everything else.

Again, some people don't care. That is fine. But we are all different. I just want to be respectful with my contacts. They gave their info to me and trusted me with it.

[Thunderbuck]

Actually, you don't have it quite right.

Just because you give an app access to your contacts doesn't mean the PUBLISHER can go into your device and retrieve that data. What Skype can do, for instance, is go through your contacts and determine which of them are already on Skype so that you can connect to them. It does NOT mean you give Skype permission to retain that data or communicate with your contacts without your consent.

I admit, I have privacy concerns (particularly when it comes to Google), but I think that anyone who makes use of a mobile device needs to be aware that they have very little expectation of privacy anymore.

[coolbold]

"but I think that anyone who makes use of a mobile device needs to be aware that they have very little expectation of privacy anymore. "

I hear you Thunderbuck.

Sad thing tho.

I would hope Skype indeed does what you just said and nothing more like a full upload. Unfortunately, we have heard this before, too. If we find out that they did it, there will a be a lawsuit which Skype can come off clean, with a few million.

Just like Google. The price of business, that's all.

[vistate1]

I would assume device identifying info is for the calling feature

When signing up for the 3 months free thru BBRY. There's all sorts of info they need.

None the less im sure most have posted more embarrassing things on Facebook than need to be concerned with what perms Skype requires.

Posted via CB10

[akavbb]

Don't get me wrong.

It's not just about me. When you give out all your contacts to Skype or Google, or whatever, you also are making a decision for all of them to be listed in their advertising campaigns and who knows what else.

Now, some may not care either, but I would think others do want to keep their privacy, and maybe want nothing to do with Google for example. So against their will, you basically give them up.

Kind of like going to a movie, and before you can go in you must give up 30 names and addresses to the attendant, so you can enter.

Now a week after, all your 30 friends start getting harassed by this theater.

The theater might even sell their list to whoever wants to buy them and off they go.

Kind of like those sweepstakes, you know, to participate enter your full name address, and everything else.

Again, some people don't care. That is fine. But we are all different. I just want to be respectful with my contacts. They gave their info to me and trusted me with it.

Thank you sir.
Exactly to to the point!!

Posted via CB10

[akavbb]

I would assume device identifying info is for the calling feature

When signing up for the 3 months free thru BBRY. There's all sorts of info they need.

None the less im sure most have posted more embarrassing things on Facebook than need to be concerned with what perms Skype requires.

Posted via CB10

As you said they have chosen to post it. Now you have no idea what they are collecting.

Posted via CB10

[Thunderbuck]

"but I think that anyone who makes use of a mobile device needs to be aware that they have very little expectation of privacy anymore. "

I hear you Thunderbuck.

Sad thing tho.

I would hope Skype indeed does what you just said and nothing more like a full upload. Unfortunately, we have heard this before, too. If we find out that they did it, there will a be a lawsuit which Skype can come off clean, with a few million.

Just like Google. The price of business, that's all.

How is this "sad", exactly? Nobody's forcing you to use the product. There are all manner of ways to communicate with people that don't represent the same privacy risk. Use them, or don't use them. There's no "sad" involved.

It's naive to think that these companies are going to operate vast networks, at low cost to users, without wanting to collect valuable usage data. Google is a particular concern to me because it's becoming so pervasive, in so many areas, that their old mantra of "don't be evil" just seems quaint. I don't know how any entity can collect so much data on so many people without even inadvertently doing something damaging with it. Microsoft and Apple, admittedly, aren't that far behind. I'd like to think that BB is somewhat better, if only because it employs a lot of third parties in commerce and perhaps don't have as many opportunities to collect user data, but I could be wrong.

[biotechx]

I can understand why something like Skype would need those permissions, most full-featured messaging apps would. Some of them are way more ridiculous......for example, why would a simple flashlight app need all of that? (Doesn't stop them from asking, of course)

I always try everything first with the bare minimum permissions, and either enable them later or delete the app if I think it's unreasonable.

[keyboard_cat]

The problem here is not whether or not the app technically will need permissions for specific tasks (like sending files to a contact), but why there aren't more layers of permissions for the wide variety of uses of any particular app. For files access, all that exists right now is a blanket permission for everything, including the cloud -- files on my PC! The issue is whether or not you trust a company to really keep your files private (PRISM, cough cough -- that is, NO, HELL NO). So, Blackberry, please implement multiple layers of permissions so that we can have modifiers for these permissions. For example, have a permission that provides access to files "as specified by the user on a case by case basis" to cover the details. At the very least, separate files on the device from files in the cloud. The Cloud? you mean everything on my home PC which is being shared with my phone? I never intended anything on my PC to be shared with someone via an app. I only wanted access to those files from my phone for my personal use..

In a world where we waive our rights daily by "agreeing" to legalese that most people do not read (I ain't got time for that!), we need the device/OS manufacturer to step up and provide legal protections against these huge opportunities for abuse of privacy. I simply do not trust the carriers of information. How can I? they have mostly agreed to waive on our behalf, without our permissions, protections supposedly afforded to us by the Constitution. We know that Microsoft/Skype logs everything that goes through Skype, and we know that they've agreed to unimpeded access of information by the government. Sure, perhaps now there isn't much abuse of the rights of the average citizen going on, but what about the next regime, or the one after that? If you can't see the disconcerting trend, you're naive and should let history be your guide. At the moment, it's like opt-in is the default. We need a way to opt-out that doesn't mean abandoning an app altogether.

Anyway, this is why I do not currently use Skype. You can't even disable the file permissions after installation. Surely that should be allowed -- let's say I never intend to send files and want to control exactly what I put in that open channel (let's face it, it's open..) - I only want to put generic, non-proprietary or confidential family-to-family communication out there that can't be abused by anyone. There you go, no need for file persmissions at all, right? Until there is a default opt-out, I'm guess I'm just waiting for BBM to go cross platform since, as I understand it, there really will be end to end, shared key encryption to protect my communications and files. I hope I'm not wrong in that assumption!

[mmv]

I just installed Skype for Blackberry Z10, and then declined to grant permissions asked and uninstalled it.

It's such an unnecessary violation of privacy that makes no sense:

1) Why is GPS needed for skype???
2) Why does skype want access to my contacts? I am not willing to share them with *any* application. This is completely unnecessary.

[Aleij Barb]

I just installed Skype for Blackberry Z10, and then declined to grant permissions asked and uninstalled it.

It's such an unnecessary violation of privacy that makes no sense:

1) Why is GPS needed for skype???
2) Why does skype want access to my contacts? I am not willing to share them with *any* application. This is completely unnecessary.

Hi welcome to Crackberry

1) Possibly it's there by default. On Android, you can set your location as a mood status, therefore it uses GPS. Possibly that feature will come to BB10.
2) Because Skype isn't just a messenger. It dials numbers. You might have an international contact on your address book and seek Skype for a cheaper rate, so of course it needs access to your contacts. You can choose to turn it off from the settings and no contacts will be imported.

[R Field]

Android port /thread.

CB10- BlackBerry Z10 - 10.2.0.1047