[AC Question]

Hey everyone,

I came across this report by a respected professor and it gave me huge concern because I've used Clean Master in the past. Apparently despite Clean Master's popularity, the app's origin and purpose seem to have been overlooked. I deleted the app right away but I thought I should share what I read with other users.

The report (written by a Carnegie Mellon professor and published in Vocativ and Gizmodo) stirred up widespread concern, identifying apps that mysteriously “know everything about you.” If you dig deeper into the report, you'll see that the company with the most of these privacy-invading apps on the list is Cheetah Mobile. These include CM Security, Clean Master, and Battery Doctor.

CM Security-AppLock & AntiVirus flags for 29 privacy permissions, some of which include call logs, text messages, and contact lists to name a few. And where the data is used thereafter is unknown to anyone else but Cheetah, leaving its users open to privacy vulnerabilities.

“That a security app is the most data-greedy is both unsurprising and disturbing. Is it really necessary to impinge on privacy to ensure security,” Gizmodo noted in its analysis.

With Cheetah Mobile’s aggressive mobile advertising foray as the public company advances its investors’ interests, it’s evident that private information from users of Clean Master, CM Security, and Battery Doctor are fed into its advertising system to deliver ads to Cheetah Mobile users and then monetize their data at the expense of its users’ privacy as suggested by Gizmodo.

[tony bag o donuts]

I used the app years ago but found that it is unnecessary, just like a task killer.

[Crashdamage]

Everything in the OP's post is true - and more.

As has been covered here before, anything by Cheetah Mobile has been known for quite a while to be not only basically functionally worthless, but just plain evil. Hijacks your device, throws up nag ads and false alarms, and phones home with your data to numerous servers in China. Many, many warnings about avoiding Cheetah Mobile have been posted here and in numerous other places.

Despite all the evidence against Cheetah and all the warnings to avoid their stuff, Clean Master, CM Security, Battery Doctor and other CM apps continue to be recommended by clueless tech sites and innocent but duped users. It's understandable that some users may not be aware, but for tech sites to put Cheetah's crapware in 'Best of' 'Must have' and 'Top Ten' app lists is utterly ridiculous and totally inexcusable!

This thread contains a wealth of information, not only about Cheetah Mobile but about other crapware, how Android works and more. Long thread but worth the read.

http://androidforums.com/threads/put...e-like.896663/

This will make you think again about installing anything from Cheetah Mobile. An article where the CM CMO says CM is a "data company" and the 'M' in CM stands for monetization. Meaning turning your stolen data into their money.

http://androidforums.com/threads/cac.../#post-7001396

But wait - it gets even worse. As posted here earlier, Samsung has made a deal with Cheetah to include Clean Master in the bundled bloatware! It's on the S6!

http://androidforums.com/index.php?posts/6934991

Thanks to EarlyMon for that info.

I could go on and on about this stuff, it drives me crazy. There's a LOT of information available if you look, but the tech sites and bloggers don't bother. They just promote what they're told to and write without any knowledge. And there's a lot more crapware by companies like DU Apps (DU Battery Saver) Go Dev Team (Go Launcher, GoSMS) and others that continues to be given glowing recommendations by uninformed, ignorant, irresponsible websites and bloggers. Users read, install, their devices suffer, the reputation of Android suffers, and no one seems to care enough to do anything.

It just makes me sick...

But I'm preaching to the choir here. I just wish I knew a way to effectively offset the waves of misinformation flooding the internet.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[Nkechi Nnachetta]

Wait DU Battery Saver sucks as well? Are you sure? (I just want to clarify before uninstalling).

[Crashdamage]

Wait DU Battery Saver sucks as well? Are you sure? (I just want to clarify before uninstalling).

DU Battery REALLY sucks. Anything by DU is absolutely horrible, evil stuff. Trash it before it trashes you!

I'll say it again... and the link contains, along with a lot of other stuff, information about DU Battery...

DO NOT use any task killers, RAM memory optimizers/boosters, battery savers/repairers, cache cleaners, antivirus, etc etc. None of that stuff is necessary.

Such apps are actually counterproductive and some are just plain evil. They actually waste power and may disrupt critical system processes and degrade performance. Not to mention the nag ads many throw up.

To understand why such apps are so bad go back in this thread and read posts # 3, 23, 27, 31, 33 & 180 - especially 180.

http://androidforums.com/index.php?threads/896663/

Actually, it's a good idea to read the entire thread. Lotsa excellent information.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[manuel chucho]

What about apus launcher, is it safe

[Yescky1]

I just want to know if why Clean Master can be so much terrible because beside my experience , i never feel that app can be likethat

[Crashdamage]

What about apus launcher, is it safe

I've never heard of Apus Launcher. If you mean Apex, I've never heard of any problem.

I just want to know if why Clean Master can be so much terrible because beside my experience , i never feel that app can be likethat

Read the information in the links provided in this thread.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[Afez Zuden]

Yes, APUS launcher is safe. I've still use it and it safe and fast

[eljeffe58]

What about apps that supposedly clean junk like CCleaner? Are they safe or a waste of time as well?

[Crashdamage]

What about apps that supposedly clean junk like CCleaner? Are they safe or a waste of time as well?

They're usually a waste of time. It's rare that a device accumulates enough orphan and junk files that cleaning them out makes a significant difference in available space. They usually occupy minimal space and make no difference in performance. I'd be more worried about a poorly written cleaner app cleaning out files that should be left alone.

That said, I'm not saying a cleaner is totally worthless. A good one can be useful in certain circumstances. I'm saying an average user probably will never need one or notice a performance improvement.

In particular, I haven't used CCleaner. I can tell from the description and reviews that it's not the best cleaner I know of. I know I wouldn't use it. But I don't know if it runs in the background, throws up nag ads, etc.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[eljeffe58]

Great response. Thank you much. I will not be using it then

Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk

[PurpleLey]

After reading this,it makes me worried..I downloaded the CM security and Battery Doctor (already uninstalled) .the CM seems working fine for me,so reading this make anxious

[PurpleLey]

I've once installed the DU but it's suck..i thought it was saving my battery but they draining it. Ever since i uninstalled that app my battery life has been prolonged unlike when i used the DU,for me it's sucks.

[Kayode Lapite]

No problem

[Crashdamage]

Here's some information about apps with excessive permissions and privacy problems. Important information and kinda interesting in a downer sorta way...

http://www.vocativ.com/tech/internet...ings/?page=all

http://privacygrade.org/apps?pg=D

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[Anna0429]

How about cm browser??

[Crashdamage]

How about cm browser??

ANYTHING by Cheetah Mobile should be avoided.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[Apus User]

Yeah I'm Sure Its Safe

[Domonica Ash]

Repair my problem

[Klovis 27]

Even cm locker?

Posted via the Android Central App

[Crashdamage]

Even cm locker?

Again, ANYTHING by Cheetah Mobile should be avoided.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

[Klovis 27]

Again, ANYTHING by Cheetah Mobile should be avoided.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

Ok

Posted via the Android Central App

[Rukbat]

What about apps that supposedly clean junk like CCleaner? Are they safe or a waste of time as well?

I've been using CCleaner on Windows for years - it does what it claims. It's probably about as good on Android, but that's just a guess, based on the level at which the Windows version is written. (I've hired enough programmers in my life that a few lines of code can tell me whether someone knows what s/he's doing.)

After reading this,it makes me worried..I downloaded the CM security and Battery Doctor (already uninstalled) .the CM seems working fine for me,so reading this make anxious

CM kills apps that it wants killed - even if Android wants them to stay in RAM. That makes Android reload them, CM rekill them, etc., etc., slowing your phone and wasting battery.

Android isn't supposed to run with "clean" RAM - it wants as much RAM in use as possible. ("Unused RAM is wasted RAM" - an Android developer.) Cleanmaster may be great for Windows, but it's death on Android. (And if a company knows so little about the environment they writing apps for, I see them as writing anything that will make money, whether it's needed or not, even whether it works or not. So, as Crashdamage has said a few times, you shouldn't have any Cheetah apps on your Android phone or tablet. Not even the stealing information stuff - they don't know how Android works, so how can they write apps for it?)

[NCzerniak83]

I've been using CCleaner on Windows for years - it does what it claims. It's probably about as good on Android, but that's just a guess, based on the level at which the Windows version is written. (I've hired enough programmers in my life that a few lines of code can tell me whether someone knows what s/he's doing.)

CM kills apps that it wants killed - even if Android wants them to stay in RAM. That makes Android reload them, CM rekill them, etc., etc., slowing your phone and wasting battery.

Android isn't supposed to run with "clean" RAM - it wants as much RAM in use as possible. ("Unused RAM is wasted RAM" - an Android developer.) Cleanmaster may be great for Windows, but it's death on Android. (And if a company knows so little about the environment they writing apps for, I see them as writing anything that will make money, whether it's needed or not, even whether it works or not. So, as Crashdamage has said a few times, you shouldn't have any Cheetah apps on your Android phone or tablet. Not even the stealing information stuff - they don't know how Android works, so how can they write apps for it?)

Amen! I'm not even a developer and even I noticed that these "cleaner/booster" apps would do something, but you could tell android wasn't agreeing with its methods. Cheetah sucks. These apps do absolutely nothing good for Android devices.