N10 questions from new Galaxy customerH

[toenail_flicker]

Your welcome, just Sharing my experience over the years . Lot of things are integrated with Samsung phones like hey Bixby call my sister for example ,they need those permission to know who your sister is .

and this is why I refuse to use bixby voice or google voice. my contacts are no one's business but my own and I routinely prune permissions on all apps. they ask and you grant, but it doesn't mean you can't take them back.

 

[Apple2Droid]

and this is why I refuse to use bixby voice or google voice. my contacts are no one's business but my own and I routinely prune permissions on all apps. they ask and you grant, but it doesn't mean you can't take them back.

Thanks. I feel a little more comfortable knowing that it's not just me. Somehow I think I'm rigging the system bully not going all into any one ecosystem--I do use Amazon Eco/Alexa, Apple MacBook Pro, and of course Android, yet I don't want a Google Home device in my home. I'm sure that this is probably hilarious to some, but it's my way of rebelling against surrendering all of my personal info . . .

 

[toenail_flicker]

-I do use Amazon Eco/Alexa

I used to and then their devices started pulling really shady shyte and sharing private conversations etc. it was in the news. I never shared my contacts with them, ever. I unplugged them all and deleted all my data and I'm happier for it.

 

[Apple2Droid]

I used to and then their devices started pulling really shady shyte and sharing private conversations etc. it was in the news. I never shared my contacts with them, ever. I unplugged them all and deleted all my data and I'm happier for it.

OMG!!! You just justified all of my paranoia.

So how did you sign into Galaxy devices if you didn't agree to this??

--On second reading, I see that you're talking about Alexa devices specifically. I don't share any contact or other personal data with Alexa, and only ask her benign questions.

But I'm still wondering about your granting access to Samsung?

 

[mustang7757]

Totally understand

and this is why I refuse to use bixby voice or google voice. my contacts are no one's business but my own and I routinely prune permissions on all apps. they ask and you grant, but it doesn't mean you can't take them back.

 

[toenail_flicker]

OMG!!! You just justified all of my paranoia.

So how did you sign into Galaxy devices if you didn't agree to this??

I agreed and then later pulled back permissions. it's needed for some things, but not all and all bixby is disabled. I do get nags now and again, but I grant and then pull back. it's what keeps me sane in a data grabbing world. I'd rather do that than just give in to samsung and walk away. I DO NOT trust them.

 

[illpoetic]

Him, I'll take that under advisement. I just don't understand why my entire contacts database is required for me to log in. Admittedly, I'm a little paranoid about security, but this just doesn't make any sense to me.

So you know if there's anywhere else that I can in globally, that doesn't require me to hand over my data?

Because you can see other Galaxy owners. Same as iPhone, the phone knows who has an iPhone. You're definitely thinking too much into it. Bottom line is that you're either going to have to sign in abs receive all the benefits or don't and you're just assed out. The biggest issue is you over thinking the situation.

 

[bobbyleebrown.bb]

I talked with a Samsung rep and some how they use contacts to verify your identity! And to verify that your samsung phone is not a knockoff. They don't collect and store any information.

 

[Gary02468]

Thanks[!] I forgot that. I'll try to check my literary writer brain at the door when posting here[.]

I don't see any grammatical irregularity in the error message. You're perhaps interpreting it as "[The app] need permission", but it's more naturally interpreted as " need permission".

As to the substantive point, I agree that Samsung has no legitimate need for access to your contacts in order to merely sign you in. They'd need access if you want them to include your contacts in Samsung Cloud backups, of course. But access could be granted, if desired, to the backup app/service when it's set up.

 

[Gary02468]

It's possible that Samsung's unjustified contacts-access requirement can be challenged as a violation of privacy laws, especially in the EU.

 

[toenail_flicker]

It's possible that Samsung's unjustified contacts-access requirement can be challenged as a violation of privacy laws, especially in the EU.

I would like to think you are right, but who really knows. since I don't keep my contacts with samsung, only with google, I am especially unhappy about this forced sharing. we are having every shred of privacy eroded by big corporations and there has to be a line drawn somewhere by someone with the power to pull it off.

 

[Rukbat]

I agree that Samsung has no legitimate need for access to your contacts in order to merely sign you in.

One of your "contacts" is your phone, so if it's a legitimate Samsung phone, they can check the "you" contact to see if that's who's signing in. The only way they can do that is with access to your contacts - it doesn't get granular enough to give them access to only one contact.

 

[Gary02468]

One of your "contacts" is your phone, so if it's a legitimate Samsung phone, they can check the "you" contact to see if that's who's signing in. The only way they can do that is with access to your contacts - it doesn't get granular enough to give them access to only one contact.

Thanks, that's interesting. But I'm not understanding what information in the "you" pseudo-contact helps Samsung identify the phone. Is it the IMEI, the phone number, or something else?

 

[Apple2Droid]

I would like to think you are right, but who really knows. since I don't keep my contacts with samsung, only with google, I am especially unhappy about this forced sharing. we are having every shred of privacy eroded by big corporations and there has to be a line drawn somewhere by someone with the power to pull it off.

I reread a couple of your replies and I appreciate the fact that I'm not the only one who sees this as an issue. I don't think I'm overthinking this, as someone else said, and I think that Samsung definitely has nefarious reasons for doing this. Why else would we be required to hand over personal private data in orde to log into an app that has nothing to do with that data. Someone said that it's so that Samsung can recognize with I'm talking to another Samsung user, as if that's a good thing. I was really looking forward to using Samsung Pay with this phone, and it's one of the main reason that I've been considering a Samsung phone for a couple of years, but I've read that even using SPay requires you to grant access to Contacts which, once again, makes zero sense.

Unlike you, I'm not sure that I can grant permission to log in, then revoke it, and remain sane about this. I spent a lot of time yesterday talking to the main Android and Samsung tech at my local Best Biuy, and he helped me figure out some alternatives to the Samsung apps that I'm interested in. At this point I don't know if I'm keeping the phone and using it in "renegade mode" by not signing into the SamsungVerse, or if I'm just getting rid of it alltoghether. I must admit that I came very close to buying a Pixel 3a this morning and returning the Note 10 to the Microsoft Store. –They have very kindly agreed to extend my return period. But even doig this has me worried about how they're siphoning off my data even without my actual consent.

Several of the comments here seem to be saying that I'm overthinking this and that I should just get over it. We are in the age of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica and privacy isn't a thing to be taken lightly. But for me, there are also professional ramifications. I'm a massage therapist and my clients are in my Contacts database. I have taken an oath to safeguard both their personal private and medical information and granting Samsung access is a violation of that oath and to my ethical duty to protect their information and their interests.

I'm completely torn as to what to do about this. I've been just trying to hang on until Android 10 is released so that if I opt to stay with the phone in renegade mode, at least I can absolutely give or deny permissions to each individual app. Then again, I may just return the phone tomorrow.

 

[ezdoit]

When we are done over thinking, under thinking, or not thinking, an issue, we have to do what make us happy.