The Importance of Reading Privacy Policies and a Few Other Tidbits

Before beginning my first technology security blog, I want to reemphasize the importance of constantly being aware of the changes that are ever present in the technology industry. Data is the new currency in this 21st Century world. Whether personal, business, or social, your every online action creates some form of data. It is absolutely essential that you read the extremely long privacy policies and terms of use and find out what is being collected while using these “free” services.

I try to use text messaging services that are open source, encrypted and privacy focused. While it is possible that a corporation or government can still get a hold of these conversations through my phone, most of the text messaging services I have been used has been honest about the information they collect. Since many are open source, you can audit the code to confirm their claims. After getting my first phone which was a Motorola G2 in late 2014, I used the default Google Messenger application. After reading up on Google’s business model and watching WhatsApp get swallowed up and changed by Facebook earlier that year, I decided to find an alternative. I started using Signal which is the most famous privacy text messaging service in the world. But getting my friends and family to download and use it properly was an impossible task. So Signal was out. I did convince my wife and daughter to download Telegram which at least has allowed internal family conversations to remain private. But I needed a text messaging service for my friends, extended family, and work acquaintances.

I came across Textra owned by the app maker Delicious. Their privacy policy states that they do not collect any personal data, but they do collect browsing information, your IP address, and any address you choose to link inside of a text message. While this is not a perfect system, I found Textra to be effective. The problem was that Textra was constantly causing me problems. I would get advertisements in the messenger. Paying a $2.49 cent fee eliminated that. But family members and friends were also informing me of technical problems like multiple text messages being received from one tweet. Others reported no text messages coming in at all. So with all the problems I had with this service, I had to change again.

This brings me to Pulse Messenger. Created by the Klinker Brothers from Iowa, this application was perfect. With a privacy policy stating no collection of personal data along with encryption and the move to open source in 2019, I found my text messaging service. It worked perfectly from the first time I downloaded it on November 15, 2016. I quickly bought the lifetime subscription and had been religiously using this text messaging service on all my phones up to October 26, 2020. Then, something changed.

I received this email from Pulse SMS yesterday with a new privacy policy and terms of service. If you use any application or program from a major technology company, then this privacy policy should be familiar. It has the same insidious surveillance capitalism tactics inside of it that you have come to expect from these tech behemoths. Besides collecting Log Data, Cookies, IP Addresses and many other forms of tracking, the sharing of my information with 3rd party service providers is just immoral. Read this part of the privacy policy below.

“These third parties have access to your Personal Information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. ​Service providers with whom we share your personal information include:

• Web, App and Game Distribution, Payments and Operating System platforms, including, but not limited, to Apple Inc., Google LLC, Amazon.com, Inc. Facebook, Inc., Bemobi International AS, and Microsoft Corporation.
• Analytics Service Providers, including, but not limited, to Flurry, Inc., Periscope, Inc., Appfigures, Inc., Google LLC (operating as Fabric, Firebase, Google Analytics), and Game Analytics.
• Web, App or Game Software, Hosting and Database Service Providers, including, but not limited, to OneSignal, Inc., Amazon.com, LLC (Amazon Web Services), Globotech Communications, and GOTOANDPLAY S.N.C.; and
• Customer Support Platforms, including, but not limited, to Zendesk, Inc., Helpshift, Inc., and Salesforce, Inc. (Operating as Desk.com).”

These services get your information even if you never use them. Besides this data being given to these service providers, the messaging service will now suspend my account if they suspect any belligerent behavior inside the app including language, spam emails or advertisements, anything that violates their speech code or can be perceived as threatening. There is no specific language specified about what these conditions actually mean and what determines these factors. Before this, Pulse SMS accepted the usage of their software in any way you preferred while protecting your data from 3rd party providers. 

If you are concerned about your data going overseas, Pulse is no longer a viable option. Because:

“Business Transfers. K​linker Apps, Inc.​ ​may sell, transfer, or otherwise share some or all of its assets, including your Personal Information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy.”

And this:

“We may be involved in business activities in a variety of countries. You agree that ​Klinker Apps, Inc.​ and those with whom we share your Personal Information (“Recipients”) may disclose, transfer, process, and store your Personal Information outside of your country of origin to our affiliates, sponsors and partners, and any other third party service providers for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.”

So this was the nail in the coffin for me. I immediately deleted the application and downloaded the open source text messaging application QKSMS off F-Droid. This text messaging service caused me problems in 2015 and 2018 when I used it mostly revolving around their MMS service. But as of today, I have had no problems with the app…so far.

So, who was the company that ruined my favorite text messaging application? The company is called Maple Media and was created as a private equity firm to buy applications that have at least 50,000 users. With the changing of the privacy policy and terms of use, they have every intention of mining as much data they can off consumers and selling it to advertisers. They were given 30 million dollars by Shamrock Capital to start with this type of business model. When you Google the purchase, it can not be found online. For some reason, Maple Media does not want anyone to know the applications they have been purchasing. The only resource I could find to confirm this was on Reddit.

As I have mentioned previously, it is important to keep up on the changing nature of the technology companies. Especially in this day where online censorship is increasing and surveillance is ubiquitous, the online world is becoming fraught with hazards to your personal privacy. Be aware of everything and may peace be with all of you.

Before closing this post, I have two things to add. A few months back, I had a post about the politicization of science and how we live in an era where multiple different scientific viewpoints can be seen as ‘true’ depending on who is presenting the information even if they are contradictory to each other. Well, this has happened again in relation to this virus. It is not my purpose to tell you which one to support. But these two petitions are in direct opposition to each other. First is the Great Barrington Declaration signed by hundreds of scientists and epidemiologists that want the COVID lockdowns to end and society to move forward with more responsible safety protocols and the protection of the elderly. The goal is to reopen society and our economies and create a sense of normalcy again in countries throughout the world. The second is called the John Snow Memorandum. No, this has nothing to do with fixing the ending of Game of Thrones and putting Jon Snow on the throne where he belongs. Even though when he led the Night’s Watch at the Wall, his leadership skills got him stabbed. This is a memo in direct contradiction to the Great Barrington Declaration that wants to maintain these lockdowns on every member of society until a proper vaccine can be created and distributed. Information on both of these petitions can be found here.

Finally, congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their 2020 World Series title. That is two championships for the city this year counting the Lakers NBA title from earlier in October. Los Angeles is truly the city of champions.