Pandora is sending user GPS, gender, birthday and more to ad servers

Looks like Pandora Radio for Android has been under fire as of late. If you guys didn’t hear they were issued a Subpoena recently over a few different issues, mainly regarding privacy and user data. Apparently there has now been even more information revealed from our friends over at Ars Technica that might have you all even more worried.

I know you all love Pandora Radio, as do I. So please don’t get to upset as I only share the news as I see it. I use Pandora very often, but I’ve yet to turn it on today after reading this.

Apparently after a company named Veracode did a bit more research they found some things that are pretty scary to say the least. According to them Admob was transmitting GPS, but that makes sense as most are driving while using the app, but then they found it randomly at all different times was reporting the users GPS. Then there was other references that appear to also log user data, gender, and possibly birthday. Additionally, the app itself appeared to be sending the users Android ID, and continually access the user’s GPS location for updates.

Veracode then wrote on its blog.

 “The SecureStudies library accesses the android_id and directly sends a hash of the data to http://b.scorecardresearch.com while the Medialets library accesses the device’s GPS location, bearing, altitude, android_id, connection status, network information, device brand, model, release revision, and current IP address.”

I don’t like the idea of them accessing many of those things, one in particular being my IP Address and my gender, that is not any of their business. Pandora has mentioned in the past that they require a certain level of access to user information so that it can continue delivering personalized music streams that we all know and love. Then again, according to Veracode, they aren’t just using that data for themselves, but rather for advertising purposes as well. There is no proof of this next comment, but the thought of them selling my personal information would make me not have a happy face. Ars Technica goes on to mention, “If the grand jury ends up coming to the same conclusion, Pandora (and other app makers) could be facing legal difficulties.”

What do you all think, and will you be dumping your favorite music streaming app over this? Did you just uninstall Pandora like I did? What about Amazon MP3 and the new cloud player, does it just cross reference the music you already have for the music suggestions it sends you, or are they also taking more information than we would like, or they need? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

• [via Ars Technica]
   

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Google’s Andy Rubin denies Android lock-down

Android lead Andy Rubin has challenged rumors that Google is locking down the OS, taking to the official Android Developers blog to deny that there has been “a change in strategy” in how it deals with OEMs, modifications, or hardware. “Our approach remains unchanged: there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs” Rubin insists. “There are not, and never have been, any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture.”

Talk of a more stringent approach to Android modification broke last week, with insiders claiming Google had begun to prioritize vendors who would agree not to modify the OS or its UI. The so-called “anti-fragmentation clauses,” Rubin says, have however been in place since Android 1.0, and the only demands Google makes is that manufacturers hold to certain core specifications if they want to use Google’s own apps.

As for Honeycomb and the release of the Android 3.0 source code, Rubin says that “the Android team is still hard at work to bring all the new Honeycomb features to phones” and that “as soon as this work is completed, we’ll publish the code.”

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Celebrating 20 Years of Linux [INFOGRAPHIC]

You’ve come a long way, Tux the Penguin.
The Linux Foundation is celebrating 20 years of the famous FOSS operating system, Linux — or GNU-slash-Linux, depending on how hard-line a fossie you’re talking to — with a slew of special events, both online and IRL. Linux enthusiasts can check out the official anniversary site for details.

The Foundation is also sharing a few other exciting news items, including:

• The new High Availability working group, which will “help define the open-source HA stack and prioritize features.” A range of open-source projects and distros are participating in the working group.
• The release of the Carrier Grade Linux 5.0 spec. This release addresses high-end data availability and security. According to the Foundation, “CGL is today a recognized standard for telecom equipment manufacturers who need to know their products will run on Linux.”
• The Yocto Project‘s 1.0 release. This is the Yocto Project’s first major release since it began in late 2010. “Improvements to developer interface and build system are included in this common set of tools for building embedded Linux regardless of hardware architecture,” says a Foundation rep.

The landmark anniversary celebration is replete with digital goodies. If you’d like to pop a Linux Anniversary badge on your site, just use this handy HTML snippet:

You might also enjoy the commemorative infographic and video (entitled The Story of Linux and featuring Richard Stallman in a cameo as St. IGNUcius) we’ve included below. Take a moment to look them over, and in the comments, reminisce with us about your Linux experiences over the years. I can still remember my first Red Hat box from early 2000…

Click to see larger version.

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Android Chief Andy Rubin: Nothing’s Changed (Except The Deals They Don’t Talk About…)

Last week, Bloomberg Businessweek published an article titled Do Not Anger the Alpha Android, in which it detailed the decreasing level of openness and increasing restrictions Google is placing on hardware manufacturers looking to take advantage of the hugely popular mobile OS. Despite receiving plenty of attention attention, Google has remained mum on the article — until now.

Android head Andy Rubin has just written a blog post that references “misinformation in the press about Android and Google’s role in supporting the ecosystem” and that he’s going to “attempt to set the record straight.” The gist of his post: we’re the same friendly green robot as we’ve always been. Whether or not people will buy that is another question.

The post highlights a few issues that have been raised in the press. One is the question of whether or not Honeycomb will be open sourced any time soon (Android, which gets plenty of attention for being ‘open’, still hasn’t released the Honeycomb source despite the fact that it’s been on the Xoom for over a month).

Rubin confirms that Honeycomb is in fact being held back as the team makes its features compatible with phones, but asserts that it’s still coming and that it “does not represent a change in strategy”. In other words, Android will keep open sourcing each new version (and my hunch is they’ll try to avoid similar delays in the future to avoid this kind of backlash. I also suspect that Honeycomb won’t actually be open-sourced at all, and that the version of Android that does get released will be Ice Cream Sandwich).

The second issue addressed: whether or not Google is collaborating with ARM to create a standardized Android chipset. Rubin explicitly denies this, saying “There are not, and never have been, any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture.”

Finally, and most ambiguously, is the allegation in the Businessweek article that Google “has recently tightened its policies” over what device manufacturers wishing to feature Google apps must agree to. And that’s where things get murky.

In the post, Rubin writes that devices wishing to get the ‘Android-compatible’ stamp of approval have always had to conform with both basic compatibility requirements and anti-fragmentation agreements. Rubin writes that they’ve always been there, and that “there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs” — in other words, HTC Sense and its ilk are still fine.

But the Businessweek article includes some allegations that Rubin doesn’t really address, like these:

There will be no more willy-nilly tweaks to the software. No more partnerships formed outside of Google’s purview. From now on, companies hoping to receive early access to Google’s most up-to-date software will need approval of their plans. And they will seek that approval from Andy Rubin, the head of Google’s Android group.

The key words here are “early access”. Yes, as Rubin says, manufacturers can still access the Android code once it’s released and the same old rules apply, but there’s no doubt that Google is giving preferential treatment to certain carriers and hardware manufacturers in return for their cooperation.

And, as the Businessweek article points out, there’s a strong incentive to get first dibs on a new version of Android. You’re first to market, you get loads of press coverage, and so on. Google can dangle this carrot, and then ask for restrictions that go well beyond what it typically requires. Presumably Google uses its own apps, like Maps and Gmail, as a similar (albeit smaller) carrot.

Of course, Google has almost certainly been negotiating such deals since Android first launched. It’s entirely possible given the success of the platform that Google can afford to be more aggressive when it makes its requests to carriers and OEMs — which would explain why they’re upset. Then again, if that means fewer carrier-bundled apps and useless skins, I don’t think users are going to be complaining much.

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