Follow-up questions about Android security apps

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	LANGALIST PLUS Follow-up questions about Android security apps
	By Fred Langa What are the risks when Android security apps ask for intrusive permissions — such as full camera access? Plus: Unknown Windows software spawns error messages, how to avoid repair-disk failures, and where to find good (free!) tools for partitioning and backups.

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The problem with Android security is that the user doesn’t have a choice about what individual security settings to allow. It’s an accept all or exit w/o installing choice.

There is an app called SnoopWall that supposedly allows users to choose individual Android security settings. I have not yet installed this, so don’t know how reliable it is. Here is a story on it:

SnoopWall gives Android users control over app permissions, ports
Jan 6, 2014
http://www.citeworld.com/article/2115679/mobile-byod/snoopwall-android-review.html

Skype on my Android updated yesterday. Below is a shot of the huge number of security settings it requires. Whew.

37473-Screenshot_2014-07-23-22-58-40-SKPE-Permissions

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ITA with you, ibe. There are some really good apps that I’ve seen in the Store, but the permissions they request are just plain unreasonable. For example, why would a game need access to your Contacts list and text messages? Only a handful of apps out there, seem to reduce their obtrusiveness via a new update. But, by then, the damage is done.

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Besides its Las Vegas origins (ok that Zappotos guy is running a startup community out there) I DO NOT like that on playstore it says FREE and several paragraphs later reveals that if you actually want to block anything its a subscription.
I will be exploring DroidWall, LBE Privacy Guard and other stuff (from http://www.howtogeek.com/115888/how-to-restrict-android-app-permissions/) It seems it will require Root.

Any experiences in this vein would be appreciated.

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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