Since 2022, with Android 11, Google removed this access from app developers. Under their new package visibility policy, apps should only see other installed apps if it’s essential to their core functionality. Developers must also explicitly declare these apps in the AndroidManifest.xml file - a required configuration file for all Android apps.

For extremely specific use cases such as file managers, browsers or antivirus apps, Google grants an exception by allowing QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, which provides full visibility into installed apps.

I don’t use Android as my primary phone, but I have a spare one and I was really curious to find out which apps from Indian companies had checks to see what other apps I had installed.

So I downloaded a few dozen Indian apps I could think of on top of my head and started reading their manifest files. Surely they will be respectful of my privacy and will only query apps essential to their app's core functionality? 🙃

Hello! There are numerous unverified temporary phone number services available (for activation codes when setting up new accounts online) which might collect user data. However, it seems that the privacy-focused community is lacking similar services for Europe created by respected privacy-focused companies, such as Mullvad. While there is the Cloaked app, it is currently only available in the United States.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/23777198

especially estonians

Original question by @MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca

Looking for the most privacy respecting baby monitor available. Doesn't have to be overly complicated, just the ability to watch a video feed from an app on my phone. It's a must have from the wife, so trying to find the best option and accepting some losses in privacy is likely necessary.

I am resharing it to benefit the highest amount of people.

I wanted to list and ask for platforms that can substitute YouTube.

Here it's:

• NASA+, Space and Astronomy Videos.
• Vimeo, Professional Videos and Documentaries.
• TED, Talks and presentations.
• PeerTube, there is not a lot of videos, but some creators upload there.
• ARTE, Euro documantries and analysis.
• RedBull TV, Sports related videos.
• RTE Player, Journalism.
• BBC videos, diverse topics.
• NFB Films, Canadian Films.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/24/german-blacklisted-and-unable-to-get-job-after-london-criminal-steals-id

I have been looking into data removal tools like Mozilla Monitor and Incogni, which charge a monthly price to remove your data from data broker sites. According to Mozilla, all they need is your name, bday, and address. I know doing this myself would be more efficient, but I don't have that much free time on my hands.

I already take source preventative measures like using alternative OSes, always on VPN, using foss/privacy friendly apps and software etc. so all that is really out there is likely to be just government or job related information. If my threat model is simply anti-corporate data harvesting, security against convenience crimes, and basic privacy, how valuable are services like this? Are they worth just paying 1 month for and then cancelling?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27420305

Encryption can’t protect you from adding the wrong person to a group chat. But there is also a setting to make sure you don’t.

You can add your own nickname to a Signal contact by clicking on the person’s profile picture in a chat with them then clicking “Nickname.” Signal says “Nicknames & notes are stored with Signal and end-to-end encrypted. They are only visible to you.” So, you can add a nickname to a Jason saying “co-founder,” or maybe “national security adviser,” and no one else is going to see it. Just you. When you’re trying to make a group chat, perhaps.

Signal could improve its user interface around groups and people with duplicate display names.

My router was playing up, initially I couldn't get my phone to connect, which I thought was my fault - since I started running grapheneOS but then other devices stop connecting and then those that were connected couldn't access certain sites etc.

I still live at home, so my mum who isn't technologically literate phoned the ISP, and attempted to fix it. Turns out it just needed a reset, as the last time it had been reset was 8 years ago.

What was a surprise was that the ISP guy told my mum how many devices were connected to the internet. She found that immensely creepy.

I doubt there's anything I can do to reduce the trust burden with an ISP, beyond telling my mum to use a VPN. My threat model always had ISPs as a risk that had to be taken, however I am curious as to if there is anything at all that can be done! That's also not immensely impractical?