Android So Much Of An iPhone Wannabe That It, Too, Has A Kill Switch
from the remote-disabling dept
There was plenty of attention a few months back when it was revealed (first by a hacker, then confirmed by Apple) that the iPhone contained a kill switch that could remotely disable any application. Nancy Gohring, over at IDG, has gone through the terms of service for the first Google Android-based phone and noted that it appears to have a remote kill switch as well, though at least it's upfront about it. You can understand why mobile operators might want this (for example, to stop a bandwidth hogging app), but it's still rather troubling that an app that you thought you had placed on your own device might be remotely deleted one day. If we've been able to deal with rogue and runaway apps on PCs for all these years, you would think that mobile operators would be able to deal with it as well.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: android, kill switch
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No that bad.
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Re: [Subject] StateDemocracy.org Equips You for the 2008 Elections
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[Subject] StateDemocracy.org Equips You for the 2008 Elections
Are you ready yet for the November 4th Elections? How about your friends, family, and neighbors?
More Americans are expected to vote this year than ever before in history, so don’t be left out! Be sure to ask everyone you know the following questions:
Are you registered to vote? If you moved recently, have you updated your voter registration?
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Can you find your local Polling Place? Do you know it may have changed from last time?
The answers to these questions -- and all your voting needs -- can be found at www.StateDemocracy.org -- the FREE 1-Stop citizen empowerment portal that Delivers Democracy to your Desktop! StateDemocracy is among the Internet’s first (since 2001) and most encompassing civic empowerment tools.
In order to boost voter participation this year, StateDemocracy.org is offering FREE widgets for all 50 states. You can simply download and embed these widgets into your own website so your visitors can register to vote, get an absentee ballot or find their local polling place.
Lobby Congress Via StateDemocracy
StateDemocracy.org also equips you to maintain an active dialog with your state and federal lawmakers once they are elected. And RIGHT NOW is an especially opportune time to contact your U.S. Senators and House Member, as Congress takes up major legislation on such issues as offshore oil drilling, another economic stimulus package and all federal appropriations bills over the next few weeks.
As you lobby your elected officials, remember that lawmakers view your constituent input as reflective of scores of other citizens who felt similarly, but didn’t have (or take) the time to share their opinions.
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Over the past 5 months, you may have visited www.LobbyDelegates.com, along with 26,000 other visitors. This latest public interest portal by the StateDemocracy Foundation remained the only online tool enabling rank-and-file Democrats to lobby all 800+ Super Delegates on which candidate to back for the party’s Presidential nomination.
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Many of you have used our StateDemocracy.org and LobbyDelegates.com tools in recent times, and have hopefully found your experience uplifting and empowering. I encourage all of you to help spread the news about StateDemocracy.org to enable more of our fellow citizens to Connect! Engage! And Empower!
Sincerely,
Ken Laureys, Executive Director
StateDemocracy Foundation
Ken.Laureys@StateDemocracy.org
P.S. If you are interested in becoming more involved in our StateDemocracy Foundation -- including volunteering as an Advisory Board Member -- please contact me.
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Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
* You can install apps easily without using the Google Store Repository
* The Kill Switch only works on Apps installed from the Google Store Repository
* The Kill Switch is not meant to be used to censor programs, just to stop malicious ones that may get uploaded to the Google Store Repository
Of course, only time can tell for sure. But Google isn't hiding it and from what I can tell those are the key differences. Apple's kill switch is used to prevent competition on their platform. Google's is there for liability reasons.
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Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
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Re: Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
You only think you own your phone, but you got iPWNED!
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Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
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Re: Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
Correction to the correction. Apple HAS used the kill switch.
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Re: Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
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Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
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Re: Re: Android Kill Switch != iPhone Kill Switch
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It depends on how it is used
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An interview with a mobile telco
"A hacker trying to break into the network..." He then punched a few keys, and suspended the account. He then explained that the system normally detects that sort of intrusion attempt and shuts it down automatically, but this one apparently learned what the pinging threshold was, and was staying just under it. The would-be hacker appeared to be trying to access a feature for which he had not paid. He would have been caught in a few minutes anyway, but the manager just happened to see it first.
Now, supposed we had a few tens of thousands of zombied smartphones out there...
I think I can see where a remote killswitch might be something a cell network would want. The alternative would be to suspend all of those accounts, and render the phones useless except for 911 calls. Much less impact on the users, much less burden on customer service, much better protection of the network.
--
www.chl-tx.com Nothing deters violent crime as effectively as the possibility that your intended victim might shoot you. Nothing.
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Re: An interview with a mobile telco
...how 'bout that!
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Another difference
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RE: can we add a kill switch to timothy's spam
Now if he was trying to hawk some Viagra or Rickrolling you, then I'd agree with your beef.
$.02
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Re: RE: can we add a kill switch to timothy's spam
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Choice
The kill switch is a new element in this system of choice (allbeit with some extra caveats) and you have to decide for yourself. Its a security thing, and I have to say, I think, in this case, I would go for security. I have a laptop for flexibility.
The only issue to me is that Apple didn't say it upfront. I hope its not a bad sign about the future at Apple.
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Getting around the kill switch
Also, what is a malicious application? Will the US IP Czar decide that the lastest JibJab application is unfair to the President and is therefore is malicious and order Google to kill it?
This is kind of like DRM. It is something that sounds great when the proposal is pitched in the board of directors meeting. In practice, it doesn't work out as planned.
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Re: Getting around the kill switch
DRM is in place for a million different configurations, this is a proprietary platform. If you want a comparison, it would be closer to protection that console systems use rather than DRM.
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Fun fact: on-device stores/marketplaces/whathaveyou existed long before apple "invented" them. Sadly, like the apple marketplace, they've mostly been restrictive "walled garden" environments controlled by entities with motives nowhere in line with actual users of the devices.
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kill switch
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