 EGeezerSummertimePremium
join:2002-08-04
Midwest
kudos:7
 ·Callcentric
2 edits | Lookout for android phones "Lookout" is hitting the local chatting heads TV news in the "tech minute" or whatever the station deems to call the segment.
As usual, the TV gerbils give glowing descriptions of it, note that it's free, but completely ignore the privacy details and possible issues.
IMO the site is dreadfully lacking in technical detail, so all I have to go on is the privacy and terms text. Based on those, it appears to be some kind of proxy that, besides scanning apps, captures, logs and stores a great deal of user, phone and browsing data.
If it uses a proxy, I wonder if they also use an SSL proxy to decrypt, monitor and log SSL connections to banking, shopping and other sites. I couldn't find any such information on the site.
This from the privacy link:
IMEI/equipment identification number, IMSI/subscriber identification number, mobile phone number, device type and manufacturer, operating system type and version, wireless carrier / operator, network type, country of origin, web requests, Internet Protocol ("IP") address, browser type, browser language, referring / exit pages and URLs, platform type, time zone, user agent, number of clicks, domain names, landing pages, pages viewed and the order of those pages, features used in the Lookout mobile application, the amount of time spent on particular web pages, the dates and times of your requests, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser.
If one chooses to use the backup feature, they say
If you choose to use the Lookout data protection feature, we will use the data you provide to us for the backup service
A read of the privacy statement is not comforting if you're concerned about such things.
Finally, the site advised that the user should get an unlimited data account to use Lookout. In the Privacy section titled "THE WAY LOOKOUT USES INFORMATION", it appears users will be getting an unspecified amount of text messages and links sent to their devices based on the data collected.
Recommending an unlimited account makes me wonder if users will be inundated with spam-style text messages and ads to the extent that limited account data quotas would be significantly exceeded.
From the "terms" section:
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU OBTAIN AN UNLIMITED DATA PLAN FROM YOUR WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDER. REVIEW YOUR WIRELESS PLAN OR CONTACT BEFORE USING THE LOOKOUT SERVICE.
Home page:
»www.mylookout.com
Terms of use:
»www.mylookout.com/m/terms
Privacy policy:
»www.mylookout.com/m/privacy
(all links and quoted text from the web pages are from the time of this posting)
So, while I believe security apps for Android phones are or will be a necessity, I also believe that Lookout may not be for the privacy conscious user.
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 FutureMonKeep your Mitts off RMoneyPremium,ExMod 2002-05
join:2000-10-05
Seaside, CA
1 edit | reply to EGeezer
On the other hand, their strong recommendation that you have an unlimited data plan, might simply be to keep people from pointing the finger at them if they get one of them huge overage bills. If this app does notify the user of issues (or whatever) via txt message, it will be one of the first apps a user might blame.
I can't see how a "proxy" in and of itself would use any more or less data than was being used in the first place, so it would be in the notifications area where additional bandwith/data/txt usage was being consumed.
- FM |
 AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ | reply to FutureMon
said by FutureMon:On the other hand, their strong recommendation that you have an unlimited data plan, might simply be to keep people from pointing the finger at them if they get one of them huge overage bills. If this app does notify the user of issues (or whatever) via txt message, it will be one of the first apps a user might blame. I can't see how a "proxy" in and of itself would use any more or less data than was being used in the first place, so it would be in the notifications area where additional bandwith/data/txt usage was being consumed. - FM I think that is standard language on most, if not all WinMo apps.
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