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YSK about No Thanks, the app to trace products linked to Israel. (play.google.com)
submitted 1 month ago by NONE_dc@lemmy.world to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world
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Our app simplifies the process of scanning barcodes and searching for products that is listed for the boycott movement.

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[-] NGnius@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 month ago

This is the sort of app that really needs to be open source or at least open dataset. Right now there's no way to see if their data is reliable. Aurora Store tells me that app has tracking in it (minor, but still, ewww), which is also concerning, so I'm not going to install it to find out if that information is at least provided in-app.

Oh also it's developed by this super generic-looking company BashSquare. Overall not very confidence-inspiring.

[-] kadup@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

You can't trust those "app has tracking in it" flags because they usually have scary wording for extremely basic and normal things that wouldn't impact your privacy.

An app anonymously tracks if an user clicks a button or not. This becomes "ThIs APp pHOnEs HomE tRaCkiNg uSErS"

[-] NGnius@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'd be inclined to agree if it wasn't broken down into more detail than what I actually shared. The app includes ads and one of the trackers is Google AdMob, so that's definitely not anonymous tracking. It's also impossible* to be sure whether the other two trackers, Google Crashlytics and Firebase Analytics, are anonymous.

*without reading the source code, at least

Edit to add the report that Aurora Store used

[-] Keeponstalin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

I don't know anything about BashSquare, but the developer is Ahmed Bashbash, a Palestinian software engineer from Gaza residing in Hungary.

Here's the About page:

As far as what's on the boycott list, it follows the official boycott list from my knowledge and gives an explanation on why a brand is boycotted

It works without camera access if you have no need to scan barcodes, it does need network to access the boycott list information. It doesn't need notification or sensor access to work. At least on grapheneos

[-] NGnius@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 month ago

That's quite compelling but I still can't find any official confirmation of that information. The BashSquare website doesn't mention any employees but does mention the app (and their website is on the G Play store). IMO the information you've provided is enough to confirm it uses some of the public boycott list, but could still be omitting things (though very unlikely; that would be a wild Israeli misinformation campaign).

The boycott website doesn't provide barcode prefixes for companies to boycott, which means there is still some information that isn't verifiable, and it's one of the more crucial parts of the app's functionality (if you're not scanning barcodes you could just use the website). I did manage to find a way to look up barcode prefixes but there was no mention of a public API so it makes me think that either they're part of the app (see qualms about open/verifiable dataset) or the app is using some proprietary API/scraper to get that info.

Thanks for the info!

[-] Keeponstalin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

It looks like he's the founder of BashSquare from his profiles, I found his website. https://ahmedbashbash.github.io/ Looks like it has contact information, you could possibly ask clarifying questions if you wanted to.

I'm pretty certain it's not some kind of Israeli honeypot or something like that. They've also done a few donation drives in the past.

The barcodes themselves provide the information for the business the product is from, at least most of them. There is also community input, where people can request a product be added if it is on the boycott list but they find the barcode not identifying it. They are also working on community additions to alternative products to boycotted ones, that should roll out in a future update

I know grapheneos does sandboxing which is really nice. You can also further isolate by setting up a new profile or using the private space, depending on what your threat level is. I just have it on my regular profile myself

[-] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 6 points 1 month ago

Make sure you don’t have this app installed if passing through US Immigration.

[-] entwine413@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago

I wouldn't install it in the US, since boycotting Israel is apparently antisemitic. Especially not if you're not a full fledged citizen.

[-] jeena@piefed.jeena.net 4 points 1 month ago

It wasn't on my bingo card that

Would make a come back but this time the Israel state doing the genocide.

I understand auch that many Israeli people are supporting it, but not all of them. It's a fucked up situation.

At the same time,, somehow the 'don't buy from the russian' doesn't seem to be very effective, so I can't see this working either.

[-] scott@lemmy.org 4 points 1 month ago

The BDS movement is based on the movement by the same name targeted at apartheid South Africa, which did have a significant impact in getting rid of the regime. That said the amount of money Americans are compelled legally to spend on Israel vastly outstrips any changes regular people could make in their daily lives so idk how effective it can be in this case. The American empire seems inextricably tied to Israeli dominance these days.

[-] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 0 points 1 month ago

It is more of symbolic message than actual pain for the gencoiders like israel and Russia

If people actually stick to it, long term it would have economic impact IMHO

[-] NGnius@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 month ago

The Canadian movement to not buy from the USA is already showing some economic impact (though it's hard to see through all of the other self-inflicted economic problems the USA has caused). It doesn't even take that much time to have a real economic impact.

[-] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 0 points 1 month ago

Sure Canadians can hurt a few American parasites but Canada doesn't have the scale to make US hurt in any meaningful way though

So it falls into symbiotic message category imho

[-] NGnius@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 month ago

Depends on what you define as "meaningful", but lots of things have already reached that threshold in my opinion. Travel into the US has dropped by up to 50% in some cases, which severely hurts their tourism industry, especially in northern parts of the USA. US politicians are talking about it, claiming outrageous things like "Canada has banned US goods". Canadians stores are struggling to sell some USA products, being forced to put discounts on them and stopping or postponing the order of replacement stock.

Anyway, symbols are only worth something if they mean something.

[-] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 1 points 1 month ago

Meaningful means it will impact US regime whores to actually change course.

So far nothing really worked on them.

So pressure needs to be escalated to the max

[-] match@pawb.social 3 points 1 month ago

but that's illegal!

[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

In Texas, government organizations not only can't divest from Israel, but also can't award contracts to anyone who divest from Israel or speaks ill of it.

It's insane. When analyzing bids for janitorial services for City Hall a few weeks back, I was required to vett them for their stance on Israel.

[-] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 4 points 1 month ago

I want to know why no one has challenged that in court, it's clearly bullshit.

[-] subterfuge@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Perhaps because of fear they will be mistakenly and immediately labeled anti-Semitic?

[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Because the restrictions is technically on the city, not the organizations we aren't allowed to hire.

It's bullshit.

[-] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 3 points 1 month ago

Your emails and download details have now been passed to the IDF.

[-] JustJack23@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 month ago

Ah so cool, but is there an open source alternative?

[-] humble_boatsman@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Sorry NGnius already posted this but interested if you folks like exodus. Its pretty sweet.

I'm new to this but my app store uses exodus to rate privacy of apps. It rates this app at 6/10. You all trust or use exodus? Wouldnt use this app anyway as I agree it should be open sourced. Especially using camera to scan items.

Exodus privacy rating

[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 month ago

I wish there was an alternative for soda stream compatible gas tanks around me.

[-] CoachDom@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago

You could potentially save yourself some money and get yourself a food grade CO2 tank and refill the cartridges at home.

[-] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Could it not just be a website? Trying to minimize the number of apps on my phone.

this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
109 points (88.7% liked)

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