What does HackerNews think of XPrivacy?

XPrivacy - The ultimate, yet easy to use, privacy manager

Language: Java

Nifflas: “When an app asks for permission feed fake data” – Fosstodon | Jul 2023
XPrivacy for rooted android could do this 7+ years ago and there are other modern alternatives (but I haven't rooted my phone for a long time so I can't vouch for them): https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

Obviously that is not mainstream, I agree it should come built in. But then both Android and iOS allow bullshit like region-locked apps or preventing screenshots from DRM content, so good luck with that.

Fisher Price Chatter Telephone with Bluetooth | Dec 2021
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Sorry, I forget the exact mechanism. If it helps: I last saw that possibility, when I was playing around with rooting and alternate Android images.

I might have used something like XPrivacy. https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
Grindr and OKCupid Sell Your Data, but Twitter’s MoPub Is the Real Problem | Jan 2020
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> One more time, what mobile phone owners need is an intermediary layer in the mobile OS where they can either manually or programmatically (via e.g. a random number generator) lie to higher-level application layers about the phone's data.

On Android, if you install Xposed, there's XPrivacy [0], which essentially had this premise. Unfortunately, it only supports versions 4.0.3-5.1.1 (and is no longer maintained).

I haven't been following the rooting community for a while, so someone can probably correct me if there's a better alternative now, but I believe the replacement is XPrivacyLua [1].

[0] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

[1] https://www.xda-developers.com/xprivacylua-xposed-module-pri...
Ticketing App AXS Scrapes Everything It Can Get from Your Phone (2018) | May 2019
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Still available, runs on top of this: https://www.xda-developers.com/xposed-framework-hub/

Edit: here is the Xposed module: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
ReCon analyzes network traffic to tell if personal info is being transmitted | May 2017
If you have a rooted Android (up to M, I believe) device, you can install Xposed[1] and XPrivacy[2], which prompts you when an app wants to do things like a DNS lookup, or access your address book. The most surprising thing I found with it was a fitness timer app that wants to be notified when my phone rings, with the phone number as a parameter... yeah, "Deny".

[1] http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.instal...

[2] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

Little Snitch for phone? | Mar 2015
For Android: XPrivacy will alert you when apps attempt any type of network access and allows you to whitelist or blacklist specific hostnames or wildcards.

That isn't it's main/only function though. From their github page: "XPrivacy can prevent applications from leaking privacy-sensitive data by restricting the categories of data an application can access."

It is a module for the Xposed framework, and requires root.

http://repo.xposed.info/module/biz.bokhorst.xprivacy

https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

Permissions asked for by Uber Android app | Nov 2014
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On rooted Android phones, there's XPrivacy, which can do just that--send fake data to an app.

https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
Permissions asked for by Uber Android app | Nov 2014
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XPrivacy?

https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
Show HN: Javelin Browser | Sep 2014
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What's stopping clones from replicating your UI right now? Are you concerned with loss of IAP revenue to clones?

I would suggest you open source it under a non-commercial license. Also, take a look at how some successful android open source projects are run. In particular, I like XPrivacy (https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy). This is an excellent app. Open source with optional purchase, similar to yours. Personally, I paid the $6 they charge because I'd rather not compile the src myself.

You've already had a lot of downloads and are an established app. Clones can't replicate that.. If you are a recognized dev on xda, with your own thread for discussion, feature requests, bug reports etc, no clones will be able to replace that aspect even if they can clone your app.

You should be able to get more downloads/purchases from privacy-aware users. And you can have donations for feature requests if you want.

Just some thoughts.. best of luck with the app!
The right way to ask users for iOS permissions | Apr 2014
for anyone who wants apps to request permissions or the ability to deny permissions I highly recommend rooting your phone then installing XPrivacy; https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
The right way to ask users for iOS permissions | Apr 2014
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root + https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy is simply amazing.
The right way to ask users for iOS permissions | Apr 2014
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You can take your privacy back by rooting and using: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
The right way to ask users for iOS permissions | Apr 2014
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root your phone and install: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy
$19B later, Facebook now wants to own my phone | Mar 2014
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Have you tried https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy ? Works pretty well for controlling your info on Android.
US and UK spy agencies scoop up private data from 'leaky' phone apps | Jan 2014
(Copied from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7132790)

If you're using Android, I'd highly recommend using a combination of XPrivacy [1] and Android Firewall [2] (iptables frontend).

To make your life easier, disallow everything from accessing the net in Android Firewall. Then, for those apps which you've allowed net access, further tweak what they're allowed to access in XPrivacy. As a rule, turn off account info, clipboard, location, contacts, and storage.

Not perfect, but a decent solution.

[1] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

[2] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jtschohl.a...

Spy Agencies Scour Phone Apps for Personal Data | Jan 2014
If you're using Android, I'd highly recommend using a combination of XPrivacy [1] and Android Firewall [2] (iptables frontend).

To make your life easier, disallow everything from accessing the net in Android Firewall. Then, for those apps which you've allowed net access, further tweak what they're allowed to access in XPrivacy. As a rule, turn off account info, clipboard, location, contacts, and storage.

Not perfect, but a decent solution.

[1] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

[2] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jtschohl.a...

Getting a bit creepy | Nov 2013
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I'd love to have it, integrated in the OS and by default as well. Something might be moving, as Google added "App Ops" [1] (hidden by default, but it's there) in Android 4.3, which allow you to revoke permissions from applications.

That said, there are some alternatives to Cyanogenmod's Incognito mode, which should work better.

One is XPrivacy [2], which relies on the XPosed Framework [3]. This is what I'm currently using on my Android phone. You can allow/restrict some permissions by default, and then have a whitelist for certain applications.

Another one is OpenPDroid [4], which requires you to patch your rom (there are some preset for the biggest roms, so usually it's just a matter of a few clicks). I haven't used it, but it should work just like XPrivacy.

XPrivacy and OpenPDroid send blank/fake data instead of blocking applications from using certain APIs, so they cause way less crashes. They even allow you to choose the fake data to provide, so that you can fake, for example, your location.

[1] http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/07/25/app-ops-android-4-3s...

[2] https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacy

[3] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1574401

[4] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2098156