Saw this today and now I’m reconsidering if Boost is right for me. I’m really hoping this is shitty boiler plate that was accidentally copied and over looked because that is some bullshit to say “unless we decide we want to use your personal data for whatever we want”.
I know “legitimate interest” is a phrase from the cookies law but there is no legitimate interest justification for this. My data is my data and I decide who has a legitimate interest in it so advertisers can fuck off, as can Boost if this the direction it’s going.
Edit to say this blew up. I didn’t realise I was kicking as big a hornet’s nest and haven’t read all the comments yet.
To be clear, what I don’t like about this and other provisions in the terms is the language and implications around data use. I’ve no problem with ads being shown - I want developers to get paid for the work they do and that makes it possible for users to have “free” access to software if they can’t afford to purchase.
I also want to add the response from Boost’s dev below to make sure it’s visible. You’ll see that it is boilerplate but required by Google and was present in Boost for reddit. I just hadn’t seen it because I purchased it immediately based on a recommendation. It doesn’t make me happy about it but does remove some doubts I was having about the direction Boost is heading.
I will be purchasing the app to support the dev because I do like Boost but I understand not everyone can afford everything so you’ll see some other suggestions in the comments below that don’t have any ads if you’re not happy with the free version and ads with their associated loss of data privacy.
Dev here.
The dialog and its content is not created by me, it is a standard solution from Google to comply with GDPR and other laws. More info here: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/10114014?hl=en
The consent dialog is also required by Google AdMob to show ads, and it is shown when the ad network is initialized.
When the app launches, first it checks for the remove ads purchase, and if it is not present, it will initialize the ads sdk. The ad network is not initialized if the remove ads purchase is detected.
Boost for Reddit was using the very same ad networks and consent dialog.
Dev here.
The dialog and its content is not created by me, it is a standard solution from Google to comply with GDPR and other laws. More info here: https://support.google.com/admob/answer/10114014?hl=en
The consent dialog is also required by Google AdMob to show ads, and it is shown when the ad network is initialized.
When the app launches, first it checks for the remove ads purchase, and if it is not present, it will initialize the ads sdk. The ad network is not initialized if the remove ads purchase is detected.
Boost for Reddit was using the very same ad networks and consent dialog.
This is the app creator everyone.
He doesn’t know anything, I know Boost better!
https://images.app.goo.gl/euNDZsn8oGq6mzy79
Yes literally first word of his comment, thanks for reminding us kind stranger
Well tbf I’ve seen a few comments just saying I’m a developer. Can’t blame anyone for being confused if this is just a random commenting on their experience or the actual owner of boost.
With the hate here, even after you explained, I am starting to think these FOSS heads are going to kill Lemmy.
Instead of just using any other app, they are attacking you. What a great way to push any future devs away. Lemmy will continue to be a weird little FOSS niche if the FOSS users don’t stop soiling their diapers over nothing.
It’s honestly a huge turn off to Lemmy writ large. Look at what happened when Dawson released Sync.
A few weeks ago someone posted to c/techsupport with an issue with their Office install. Every. Single. Comment. was "uSe LiBrEoFfIcE” or something to that effect, some going as far as to insult the OP for asking a tech support question in the tech support forum, because MiCrOsOfT bAaAaAd.
I was the only one to offer a real solution. If I were that OP, I wouldn’t come back to Lemmy.
Damn, that’s really frustrating, and literally doesn’t help one bit. Even if OP wanted to switch.
I use LibreOffice because I keep spreadsheets of my vehicle kilometres and whatnot, but my girlfriend, who works in a professional setting, would never be able to use anything other than Microsoft Office. The compatibility, features, etc. make nothing else a viable alternative, unless you’re keeping stupid at home spreadsheets like I am.
Meanwhile I work for a HUGE fortune 500 company that uses libreoffice on work laptops.
So weird that there’s so many down votes for this comment.
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You’re assuming a negative connotation without any proof of such.
Not everything said is always a virtue signal. Sometimes someone just truly believe in what they’re saying and they know it from their own life experiences and perspective.
As far as the subject goes, I’m just repeating myself at this point, but …
I’ve seen it done before.
Usually how it’s done is that you install LibreOffice in parallel to Microsoft Office, and then you transition people over, over time.
Not that hard to do.
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I wasn’t virtue signaling at all you moron, I was commenting on a fortune 500 company being such cheap penny pinchers they would rather use an inferior product. I would much prefer they use office.
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Because its most likely a lie since most companies on the fortune 500 list are older then libreoffice itself. No company that size could change its entire office suite without essentially stopping all office work for a few months.
I’ve seen it done before.
Usually how it’s done is that you install LibreOffice in parallel to Microsoft Office, and then you transition people over, over time.
Not that hard to do.
My company is currently #79 on the list and I can screen my work laptop right now if you like. They did it because a Libreoffice license is $50 per computer while office is $300+.
Have they done that mandatory for all users without exception?
No employees in accounting, finance, sales still using Excel?
Why would you need to license something that is free and open source in the first place?
Sure you do.
#79 on the list, would you like to see my installed software on my company laptop? They are cheap bastards, not sure why since they make a ton of money by gouging customers on the regular.
LibreOffice is great for random at home spreadsheets, but no fortune 500 company is using it. Fortune 500 companies require perfect compatibility with all of the other people they work with and for, you know, the reason they achieved the fortune 500 status.
Not to mention when you’re a large company, you’re using Microsoft Volume Licensing, which dramatically reduces the cost.
I just can’t believe the fortune 500 company you work for is using libre office.
Well believe it, I’ve been complaining about how crap it is for business use for years but they don’t care since they are saving a ton of money on licensing fees.
The “FOSS heads” are the only reason why Lemmy exists at all.
I have been using nothing but Linux for the last decade (literally, Arch for years and now Nix) and I’m increasingly growing to hate how so many OSS communities are bordering on zealotry.
I’ve completely unsubbed from most Android communities now too because they’re all such toxic, hostile places to be if you have the sheer audacity to use anything proprietary or closed source.
I’ve been around this block. I’ve been both using and contributing to open source projects, some small, some large. I’m proud of what open source developers have achieved and am humbled by most of them. But the users…the users are starting to get really annoying.
How dare those supporters of open source software support open source software (Lemmy)!
To steel-man this argument, it’s really “Free software supporters are too hostile and demanding, and they’ll scare off developers.”
I have seen no evidence of this happening. Instead, there’s a huge number of Lemmy clients, both open and closed source. I have at least half a dozen installed on my phone, and that’s not even all of them! Compare that to the number of Mastodon clients.
Great. Let me know how many are still around in a year when people realize they’re working for free, and can’t keep doing it.
Mods on Reddit work for free, and have worked for free, for over a decade. They’re still working for free. Same with admins on Lemmy. Not everything is profit-driven.
Reddit mods are paid in control. They get to feel big and important.
I mean shit, toxic ass mod team of /r/Android was late to Lemmy, and is trying their hardest to maintain control over here. They made an agreement with the original lemmy.world android community to shut down and redirect the traffic to their lemdro.id instance.
@MargotRobbie@lemmy.world resurrected it.
So that’s a pretty bad comparison in my opinion.
One minute I was here promoting a movie, the next minute I was top mod of a community of smartphone enthusiasts.
I’m still not quite sure how that happened.
You’re implying two things: 1) They don’t realize that they’re working for free now (lol), and 2) They won’t be able to keep doing it (for some unknown reason).
Okay, well have fun when you push everyone else away. Lemmy will look like the Ubuntu forums lol.
Oooooh snap!
Cool, do you want it to be a FOSS only place even in comments?
Lemmy is full of people that just want to scream about what they believe everywhere. The entire website has this coat of political speak that isn’t helping attract people that just want to talk about games or look at memes.
You pretty much just described today’s Internet
100% now that it’s easy to comment and make blogs etc so easy everyone now thinks their opinion matters because they can put it on the net.
Yea, it is definitely a turn off. A lot of people on lemmy are not just passionate about what they believe, they are basically evangelical about it to the point that they seem like they need to not only convince everyone how right they are, but be assholes to anyone who disagrees. Whether it’s political, or about software, or whatever.
To be honest, that sounds a whole lot like reddit, too.
True, reddit though does at least seem to have a lot more active niche communities you can go to with active moderation (sometimes too much though) so it’s easy to at least get plenty of content without having to deal with that. Lemmy, not so much.
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Not sure you got your answer yet so here: Free and Open Source Software
Free/open source software.
Free & open-source software
Free open source software
To be clear, the thing you’re defending here is someone breaking the already very company friendly law because they think their profits have more value than the user privacy the law is designed to protect.
Want to know why memmy virtually stopped overnight?
This
Damn, really? I don’t use iOS, so I haven’t kept tabs on the app. That’s a shame.
Reddit is going to win because of the damn FOSS freaks. Pushing away people one by one.
“FOSS freaks” created lemmy
Ok. Now leave it.
2 month old account ✅
Imagine having multiple accounts…
I just saw your bio, maybe you should reconsider using this platform, lemmy has been built by “FOSS Linux freaks” by day one and the creators (and admins of the 3rd largest instance) are godless Linux and FOSS loving commies
These people don’t even know what regular humans want/need. They’re content to use half-baked software with 70% of the features, and feel like everyone should do the same.
For all the ridiculous FOSS zealots, why are you even here? This software isn’t kosher to your religion.
The thing I don’t understand is how they expect everyone to switch to Linux. I’ve explained to them in multiple comments, which are always heavily downvoted, how I cannot switch to Linux because the industry I work in requires software and hardware that only run on Windows.
They never have any reply to it. They just downvote and move on.
I was also always was under the impression that companies don’t port their software to Linux because of the user-base being smaller, but Lemmy has showed me that it’s more so entitlement. Why would these companies spend time and money porting to Linux when the Linux community is so negative? They only want FOSS. They want the best of the best, but they don’t want to pay anyone for it. They believe that developers should work for free, because they refuse to use any ad-backed software, but also refuse to open their wallet.
It’s also such a shame, because I run Linux on a secondary machine, distro hop often, and keep tabs on Linux news frequently. I’ve always hoped for Linux to take off, but the current Lemmy community has genuinely put such a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to Linux and FOSS. It’s like when a person you liked comes out as a racist pedophile, and now you can’t enjoy any of the movies they are in anymore lmao. As stupid as it sounds, my interest in Linux has decreased in the past few months. I almost don’t even want to be associated with it anymore.
This sounds excellent TBH.
I guess if you enjoy a small group of people jerking themselves off and arguing over which distro is best, sure.
Is that how you find Lemmy? If that’s what you’re in to there’s probably more of that on reddit TBH.
Find lemmy?
Any positive comments about any non-FOSS app is downvoted. Any mention of Windows is downvoted. Any thread trying to discuss news not related to Linux is downvoted.
Like the one where Microsoft announces Paint is gettting layers and transparency, and the entire thread is filled with Linux nerds downvoting anyone saying they’re excited.
Or the one someone mentioned above where someone was asking help with MS Office, and every comment was ignoring the request, telling the guy to download Libre Office, which isn’t helpful…
EDIT: here’s an example. Clicked the first link. Didn’t even have to look far. https://lemmy.ca/post/6051300
EDIT 2: are we going to ignore the hate the Sync and Boost dev get, because they aren’t FOSS and they charge a one-time-fee to remove ads? Despite the fact their apps are extremely polished, and so extremely far ahead any of the FOSS apps? Even though the FOSS heads can just… use the FOSS apps? Why hate alternatives that attract more people to Lemmy?
To me, resisting the encroachment of corporate interests is far, far more important than having more users, particularly if those new users are the ones that don’t care about corporate encroachment.
Ok. That’s awesome. I am really happy for you that you’re able to use Linux, and that you have different values.
Doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to bully others into following you. If they want to use Windows, I mean shit, if they want to use an outdated, dangerous version of Windows XP, let them?
Downvoting others for being excited about a Windows feature, or refusing to answer a question and instead interjecting with your unsolicited opinion isn’t helpful. You’re not contributing to the conversation, and you’re making Lemmy a miserable place.
Well one of us sure is determined to have a range about Linux!
Cool but please shut up when someone asks a question about Windows instead of evangelising Linux.
When was I evangelising Linux?
It really does not.
I mean, to be fair, if you don’t like it, you can fork the code and make your own network.
That’s not the point though. They’re talking about usage population.
A virtual ‘Public Square’, where everyone is discussing ideas that you can listen in on and contribute to, doesn’t work very well if there’s no one in the public square.
There are dozens of us here though!
Seriously though… more users isn’t necessarily more better.
Easier to just downvote the annoying ass FOSS nerds.
Your time is worth a few bucks. Happily removed ads immediately after download. Thank you for your work brother! Good to be back!
Well look at that, a simple logical explanation.
Oh and thank you sir for your app. I went to paid version before i even loaded any content. I look forward to it’s future
There are plenty of more justified directions we can go with pitchforks and torches for sure my friends.
This should be pinned.
Thank you for clarifying this.
I also apologize if this post has hurt Boost - I didn’t think it would get a fraction of the visibility it did or even the reactions it did. I edited to add your explanation to make sure anybody who reads it going forward has the full story.
You’ve done great work on Boost. I really enjoyed the Reddit version and look forward to seeing what you do with it, so thank you.
Since you’ve got the group’s and the devs attention, maybe suggest adding a little clarification to that dialog, as it is indeed a bit scary without Ruben’s explanation.
Something like, "Google ad networks and gdpr require me to state this: ‘that scary text from the orig. dialog’
Get more details here: < link >"
No worries on pointing it out, we just gotta be careful in supporting our devs when we also ask questions, so they won’t feel thrown under a bus.
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Put this text in that popup. It explains everything.
this sounds like a good idea dev
It doesn’t really explain anything… it says “I’ve chosen this shitty intrusive ad platform with which to exploit you”
He choose the google admob platform for an android app in the Google playstore. How default do you want him to choose? At least now you know no other datascam platform uses your data, if you have an android phone, this admob disclaimer is useless because Google already now.
I know you’ll probably get flooded with a stream of responses so sorry to add to them but you’ve done a fantastic job implementing a boost replacement for the lemmy environment and I’m happy to support that by buying the ad free version. I’d also suggest opening some sort of channel for later contributions but I look forward to see how boost for lemmy grows. Thank you for all the great work.
thanks for the logical explanation and thanks especially for all of the hard work you put into bringing Boost for Lemmy to us! downloading it made my day.
Hello, European here. Your explanation doesn’t fix anything, it’s still on you to ensure that your app complies with the GDPR - of a component you use doesn’t you can’t use it. You can complain to your ad network that their sdk sucks.
I just got boost installed and I don’t want to accept the privacy policy but I will happily pay to use the app, is that possible?
Clearly you are trying not to make a big deal about it, and I respect that, but maybe make a pinned post on BoostForLemmy? Make sure you’re not actively trying to fleece people?
I am happy with Infinity now and I think it’s great that the app removes trackers for paying customers (many apps and websites don’t do that) and I don’t know a way to solve the situation properly myself but people who want privacy often don’t use Google Play and in that case you can’t actually remove trackers.
He has spoken.🗿
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While I absolutely respect your response, I don’t see the issue being addressed. You can easily include a caveat that mentions this, but more importantly be transparent with the data .
He’s not the one collecting the data, receiving the data, or even choosing what data is collected. How the fuck can he be “more transparent” with this data? It’s Google standard AdMob SDK used by the vast majority of Android-Apps showing ads. The SDK isn’t initialized in the paid version.
Literally, the only complaint I’m having here is that buying the Ad-Free version was a little too hard to find. A pop-up “hey, would you like ads or pay for this app” would have allowed me to pay for it faster.
“He’s not”, but the app is by initiating the AdMob. I understand we’re stating the data isn’t “in his hands”, but it could be more transparent and a selling point for the Ad-free version by stating the mechanics and why the legal terminology is in the agreement. This post has been very informative and could be a learning lesson for others.
Personally I’ve always wondered about companies that have “free versions” and “paid versions”. I understand the mantra of free versions being “You are the product”, so with paid versions am I still a product with my data or is that protected somehow? This conversation has cleared it up for me in regards to this app at least.
How does it make any difference that it’s required by a third party? That doesn’t really change anything.
You better keep an eye out, then; your app may be in legal violation of the LGPD and GDPR.
How? Could you at provide a credible cause?
Article 2 of the LGPD already gets him: consent is autodetermined, i.e. only the user can define whether or not the data may be kept (except in very specific circumstances which do not apply)
You forgot article 10.
Art. 10. Controller’s legitimate interest can only be grounds for processing personal data for legitimate purposes, based on particular situations, which include but are not limited to:
I – support and promotion of the controller’s activity; and
II – protection of data subject’s regular exercise of her/his rights or provision of services that benefit her/him, subject to her/his legitimate expectations and fundamental rights and freedoms, in accordance with this Law.
§1 When processing is based on the controller’s legitimate interest, only the personal data which are strictly necessary for the intended purpose may be processed.
§2 The controller shall adopt measures to ensure transparency of data processing based on her/his legitimate interests.
§3 The national authority may request of the controller a data protection impact assessment, when processing is based on her/his legitimate interest, being observed commercial and industrial secrecy.
Are you seeing a clause stating previous dispositions may be voided in there? Because I am not. I.e. the previous terms still apply (made explicit in the entirety of chapter I).
I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time seeing Lemmy Lawyers having better knowledge of GDPR laws than Google, which is the ones showing the consent screen. As others have pointed out, if you don’t want your data tracked by Google (which is mostly too late anyway for majority of people), just buy the app. The dev could make the option to pay a bit clearer, but I’m sure people would complain that a pay screen is shoved in their face instead. Can’t please everyone!
The dev should block all app functionality and tracking if no consent is given. Anything else is in violation of the LGPD and GDPR
You’re joking, right? Big companies try to sneak shit by all the time, because that’s just “the cost of doing business” when caught. That’s why the EU and serious consumer-protecting countries are increasing fines. Google had a whole disinformation campaign against the GDPR.
I’m assuming you’re capable of reading. Both laws are publicly available for you to check.
I totally agree with your first point! Not giving consent shouldn’t be treated as “okay, but we’ll still do it” scenario.
Second and third, I’m not saying I’m trusting Google, I’m saying I’m trusting the EU and all the auditors that target Google (which, by the way, includes us Lemmy Lawyers), meaning the likelihood nowadays that Google isn’t compliant to GDPR, in my view, is next to zero. Way more than if it was some custom consent screen by some arbitrary company. If Google is “sneaking something in” it’s because the GDPR law allowed it via loopholes or different interpretation.
Also, watch your tone, no need to get aggressive. I merely pointed out that Google has more knowledge of GDPR laws than people on Lemmy. People on Lemmy, me included, has varied interpretations of GDPR laws (as is clearly demonstrated in the other sibling replies to my original comment, where they both interpreted it differently in separate clauses), since most are not educated lawyers. Law is all about interpretation, not just reading. So “assuming you’re capable of reading” is quite irrelevant.