www/proprietary malware-mobiles.html proprietar...

[Therese Godefroy]

CVSROOT:        /webcvs/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Therese Godefroy <th_g> 19/02/08 03:47:54

Modified files:
        proprietary    : malware-mobiles.html 
                         proprietary-surveillance.html proprietary.html 
        proprietary/workshop: mal.rec 

Log message:
        Add privacy flaws in VPN apps (RT #1353565).

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.80&r2=1.81
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/proprietary-surveillance.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.236&r2=1.237
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/proprietary.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.76&r2=1.77
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/proprietary/workshop/mal.rec?cvsroot=www&r1=1.34&r2=1.35

Patches:
Index: malware-mobiles.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html,v
retrieving revision 1.80
retrieving revision 1.81
diff -u -b -r1.80 -r1.81
--- malware-mobiles.html        4 Feb 2019 07:16:06 -0000       1.80
+++ malware-mobiles.html        8 Feb 2019 08:47:53 -0000       1.81
@@ -351,6 +351,25 @@
 <h3 id="surveillance">Mobile Surveillance</h3>
 
 <ul class="blurbs">
+  <li id="M201902010">
+    <p>An investigation of the 150 most popular
+    gratis VPN apps in Google Play found that <a
+    href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-android-app-risk-index/";>
+    25% fail to protect their users’ privacy</a> due to DNS leaks. In
+    addition, 85% feature intrusive permissions or functions in their
+    source code&mdash;often used for invasive advertising&mdash;that could
+    potentially also be used to spy on users. Other technical flaws were
+    found as well.</p>
+
+    <p>Moreover, a previous investigation had found that <a
+    href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-app-investigation/";>half of
+    the top 10 gratis VPN apps have lousy privacy policies</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>It is unfortunate that these articles talk about &ldquo;free
+    apps.&rdquo; These apps are gratis, but they are _not_ <a
+    href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a>.</p>
+  </li>
+
   <li id="M201901050">
     <p>The Weather Channel app <a
     
href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/04/weather-channel-app-lawsuit-location-data-selling";>
@@ -914,7 +933,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/02/04 07:16:06 $
+$Date: 2019/02/08 08:47:53 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: proprietary-surveillance.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/proprietary-surveillance.html,v
retrieving revision 1.236
retrieving revision 1.237
diff -u -b -r1.236 -r1.237
--- proprietary-surveillance.html       7 Feb 2019 10:28:58 -0000       1.236
+++ proprietary-surveillance.html       8 Feb 2019 08:47:53 -0000       1.237
@@ -768,6 +768,25 @@
 </div>
 
 <ul class="blurbs">
+  <li id="M201902010">
+    <p>An investigation of the 150 most popular
+    gratis VPN apps in Google Play found that <a
+    href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-android-app-risk-index/";>
+    25% fail to protect their users’ privacy</a> due to DNS leaks. In
+    addition, 85% feature intrusive permissions or functions in their
+    source code&mdash;often used for invasive advertising&mdash;that could
+    potentially also be used to spy on users. Other technical flaws were
+    found as well.</p>
+
+    <p>Moreover, a previous investigation had found that <a
+    href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-app-investigation/";>half of
+    the top 10 gratis VPN apps have lousy privacy policies</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>It is unfortunate that these articles talk about &ldquo;free
+    apps.&rdquo; These apps are gratis, but they are _not_ <a
+    href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a>.</p>
+  </li>
+
   <li id="M201901050">
     <p>The Weather Channel app <a
     
href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/04/weather-channel-app-lawsuit-location-data-selling";>
@@ -2078,7 +2097,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/02/07 10:28:58 $
+$Date: 2019/02/08 08:47:53 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: proprietary.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/proprietary.html,v
retrieving revision 1.76
retrieving revision 1.77
diff -u -b -r1.76 -r1.77
--- proprietary.html    7 Feb 2019 10:28:58 -0000       1.76
+++ proprietary.html    8 Feb 2019 08:47:53 -0000       1.77
@@ -144,6 +144,25 @@
 <h3 id="latest">Latest additions</h3>
 
 <ul class="blurbs">
+  <li id="M201902010">
+    <p>An investigation of the 150 most popular
+    gratis VPN apps in Google Play found that <a
+    href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-android-app-risk-index/";>
+    25% fail to protect their users’ privacy</a> due to DNS leaks. In
+    addition, 85% feature intrusive permissions or functions in their
+    source code&mdash;often used for invasive advertising&mdash;that could
+    potentially also be used to spy on users. Other technical flaws were
+    found as well.</p>
+
+    <p>Moreover, a previous investigation had found that <a
+    href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-app-investigation/";>half of
+    the top 10 gratis VPN apps have lousy privacy policies</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>It is unfortunate that these articles talk about &ldquo;free
+    apps.&rdquo; These apps are gratis, but they are _not_ <a
+    href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a>.</p>
+  </li>
+
   <li id="M201902040">
     <p>Google invites people to <a
     
href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/02/04/google-screenwise-unwise-trade-all-your-privacy-cash?cd-origin=rss";>
@@ -193,21 +212,6 @@
     is not a cure for the injustice of nonfree software. It may avoid
     paying for the nasty thing, but cannot make it less nasty.</p>
   </li>
-
-  <li id="M201901110">
-    <p>Samsung phones come preloaded with <a
-    
href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-08/samsung-phone-users-get-a-shock-they-can-t-delete-facebook";>
-    a version of the Facebook app that can't be deleted</a>. <a
-    
href="https://www.infopackets.com/news/10484/truth-behind-undeletable-facebook-app";>
-    Facebook claims this is a stub</a> which doesn't do anything, but we
-    have to take their word for it, and there is the permanent risk that
-    the app will be activated by an automatic update.</p>
-
-    <p>Preloading crapware along with a nonfree operating system is common
-    practice, but by making the crapware undeletable, Facebook and Samsung (<a
-    
href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-08/samsung-phone-users-get-a-shock-they-can-t-delete-facebook";>among
 others</a>)
-    are going one step further in their hijacking of users' devices.</p>
-  </li>
 </ul>
 
 
@@ -268,7 +272,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2019/02/07 10:28:58 $
+$Date: 2019/02/08 08:47:53 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>

Index: workshop/mal.rec
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/proprietary/workshop/mal.rec,v
retrieving revision 1.34
retrieving revision 1.35
diff -u -b -r1.34 -r1.35
--- workshop/mal.rec    7 Feb 2019 10:28:59 -0000       1.34
+++ workshop/mal.rec    8 Feb 2019 08:47:54 -0000       1.35
@@ -25,6 +25,31 @@
 ####    Please don't remove the blank line after this marker!    ####
 # ADD NEW BLURB HERE
 
+Added: 2019-02-08
+Id: 201902010
+RT: 1353565
+PubDate: 2019-02-01
+PubDate: 2018-12-17
+Target: proprietary-surveillance.html SpywareInMobileApps
+Target: malware-mobiles.html surveillance
+Keywords: vpn
+Blurb: <p>An investigation of the 150 most popular
++   gratis VPN apps in Google Play found that <a
++   href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-android-app-risk-index/";>
++   25% fail to protect their users’ privacy</a> due to DNS leaks. In
++   addition, 85% feature intrusive permissions or functions in their
++   source code&mdash;often used for invasive advertising&mdash;that could
++   potentially also be used to spy on users. Other technical flaws were
++   found as well.</p>
++
++   <p>Moreover, a previous investigation had found that <a
++   href="https://www.top10vpn.com/free-vpn-app-investigation/";>half of
++   the top 10 gratis VPN apps have lousy privacy policies</a>.</p>
++
++   <p>It is unfortunate that these articles talk about &ldquo;free
++   apps.&rdquo; These apps are gratis, but they are _not_ <a
++   href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a>.</p>
+
 Added: 2019-02-07
 Id: 201902040
 RT: 1356049