Furious!! Ditching WP7 device ASAP!

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BackToAndroid

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Ok, I switched from an aging Andorid device to a shiny Lumia 710.

Upon importing my PRIVATE PERSONAL CONTACTS (phone numbers) I was overjoyed to learn that they are immediately published to an ONLINE "Live" account with no obvious warning - less, any choice in the matter.

Now, I may be old-fashioned, but was I foolish to assume that all my phone numbers would be stored on the device itself, rather than in a cloud?

Although Android nudges its users into trading their privacy for convenience also, at least you can opt out from all the intrusions to a great degree. Not so with WP7 it seems..

So unless this situation changes fairly soon, this will be my first - and last Windows device.

I found a temporary workaround in the form of an app called "My People" which stores your phone numbers locally. If it were not for that app, the phone would now be up for sale/given away.

I'm frankly shocked that there seems to be so little discussion/outrage about this fact.

I fully accept that I may be mistaken about all of the above, so please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.
 

Welve

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Well, it is in the privacy statement. I was surprised to find all my Google contacts online as well, but by this time enough people have my phone number it has to be floating around out there anyway. Plus, all that stuff, address, phone number, whatever, it is on the side of the house, in the phonebook, on yellowpages online...I understand being concerned about privacy, but at this point the only thing private is your SSN and so many companies have that it is barely private: the digital age.

Windows Live Privacy Supplement
 

BackToAndroid

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I've owned an Android for nearly two years. Never once have I needed any kind of account to have a fully-functioning phone. All of my apps/music etc were side-loaded.

Already I've seen at least one person whose "live" account was hacked, so imagine what chaos/mischief/embarrassment could be done with someones phone numbers and calendar appointments. I'm fairly informed on matters of security and can assure people that nothing that is accessible online is safe.
 

mase123987

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Now-a-days, having all your numbers/contacts stored online has become the norm. I actually prefer it. It has saved me so much time when reinstalling everything on my different phones. I can see how you would want everything kept on the phone but that tends to be against the idea of smartphones.
 

sconrad308

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I would be bothered if they were mining the information. But that is just storage. The good thing about it is that if you get a new phone it is easy to update your contacts back into it. Google does the same thing. They put your stuff in their cloud service.
 

mase123987

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I've owned an Android for nearly two years. Never once have I needed any kind of account to have a fully-functioning phone. All of my apps/music etc were side-loaded.

Already I've seen at least one person whose "live" account was hacked, so imagine what chaos/mischief/embarrassment could be done with someones phone numbers and calendar appointments. I'm fairly informed on matters of security and can assure people that nothing that is accessible online is safe.

For your situation, go back to Android. You will not be able to do those sort of things anytime soon with a WP7 phone. Just remember, if your phone is online, it can get hacked also. Most of the time it is just about being smart about online activity.
 

socialcarpet

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Whoa.

Calm down...

First of all, what are you talking about? You're making it sound as if Microsoft published your entire address book on the internet for everyone to read. Somehow I serious doubt that.

Backing your stuff up on the cloud is ENTIRELY different, that's for your use, not a violation of your privacy and Google does EXACTLY the same thing. Go buy a new Android phone, enter your gmail address and GUESS WHAT, all your contacts and apps and everything come along for the ride. How? BECAUSE THEY ARE BACKED UP IN THE CLOUD.

The difference is that Google's #1 business is trading in your personal information. Microsoft's #1 business is software. Are you really saying you trust Google more? :lol:

Sorry if there was any misunderstanding here. The bottom line is that any smartphone is going to offer this cloud syncing as a feature, and it is a feature, because most people don't want to have to rely on syncing their phone with a cable circa 1998 like it's a Palm Pilot alone. It's actually very convenient.

Believe me, no one uses Windows Live anyway. Even if Microsoft WAS posting your address book publicly on your page (THEY AREN'T) no one would ever see it. :lol:

Seriously, read up on how this stuff works and cool down. I guarantee you 100% that your Windows Phone did absolutely NOTHING that violated your privacy any more than owning an Android did and at least your Lumia won't have identity stealing malware on it like the Android probably did.
 

sconrad308

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You didn't have a google account when you had your android? I thought you had to have a google account. That must have changed then.
If it makes you that uncomfortable then by all mean go back to android if that is where you want to be.
 

Welve

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Really? I remember signing up for the G1 and my Galaxy S and having it require a Gmail account to run, even being told by the sales person as much...And I don't believe you have to have a Live account associated with your Windows Phone, but you would have to sign in with one to use the marketplace.
 

tekhna

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You didn't have a google account when you had your android? I thought you had to have a google account. That must have changed then.
If it makes you that uncomfortable then by all mean go back to android if that is where you want to be.

No, theoretically you don't need a google account. Well, actually, there's no real need for a google account if you sideload your apps and don't use gmail.
 

socialcarpet

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I've owned an Android for nearly two years. Never once have I needed any kind of account to have a fully-functioning phone. All of my apps/music etc were side-loaded.

Already I've seen at least one person whose "live" account was hacked, so imagine what chaos/mischief/embarrassment could be done with someones phone numbers and calendar appointments. I'm fairly informed on matters of security and can assure people that nothing that is accessible online is safe.

If you're that informed on security, I would think you would want a Blackberry or an iPhone, certainly not an Android phone.
 

tekhna

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Really? I remember signing up for the G1 and my Galaxy S and having it require a Gmail account to run, even being told by the sales person as much...And I don't believe you have to have a Live account associated with your Windows Phone, but you would have to sign in with one to use the marketplace.

If you don't use the Android market you don't need to be signed in.
 

socialcarpet

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No, theoretically you don't need a google account. Well, actually, there's no real need for a google account if you sideload your apps and don't use gmail.

Might as well just go full on Osama bin Laden and do all your communication through couriers carrying USB flash drives that send your email anonymously from internet cafes in Pakistan then. LOL

Paranoid about privacy and security?

Choose the least secure phone OS that has the most malware and is made by a company that makes all of it's money selling people's information. hahahahahahaha
 

mase123987

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If he is sideloading everything, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some paid apps he isn't paying for. Also, if your just downloading the apks from some website, you have a much higher chance of having malware on your phone.
 

socialcarpet

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Why? Android is just as secure as BB or iOS. Especially if you know how to manage permissions properly.

Perhaps, but Android is the only one that's got rampant malware in their own marketplace and many IT departments don't allow Android devices. I haven't seen one yet that doesn't allow Blackberry and almost all allow iOS now too.
 

BackToAndroid

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Whoa.

Calm down...

First of all, what are you talking about? You're making it sound as if Microsoft published your entire address book on the internet for everyone to read. Somehow I serious doubt that.

Backing your stuff up on the cloud is ENTIRELY different, that's for your use, not a violation of your privacy and Google does EXACTLY the same thing. Go buy a new Android phone, enter your gmail address and GUESS WHAT, all your contacts and apps and everything come along for the ride. How? BECAUSE THEY ARE BACKED UP IN THE CLOUD.

The difference is that Google's #1 business is trading in your personal information. Microsoft's #1 business is software. Are you really saying you trust Google more? :lol:

Sorry if there was any misunderstanding here. The bottom line is that any smartphone is going to offer this cloud syncing as a feature, and it is a feature, because most people don't want to have to rely on syncing their phone with a cable circa 1998 like it's a Palm Pilot alone. It's actually very convenient.

Believe me, no one uses Windows Live anyway. Even if Microsoft WAS posting your address book publicly on your page (THEY AREN'T) no one would ever see it. :lol:

Seriously, read up on how this stuff works and cool down. I guarantee you 100% that your Windows Phone did absolutely NOTHING that violated your privacy any more than owning an Android did and at least your Lumia won't have identity stealing malware on it like the Android probably did.

Actually my private contacts were published to the internet. Anyone with a browser has the potential to log into "my account". Why is there no option to hide your contacts from everyone except yourself in the security options? I never used any Google services with my Android phone, yet it was fully-functional in every way.

Really? I remember signing up for the G1 and my Galaxy S and having it require a Gmail account to run, even being told by the sales person as much...And I don't believe you have to have a Live account associated with your Windows Phone, but you would have to sign in with one to use the marketplace.

How would you store your phone numbers without a "live" account?

If you're that informed on security, I would think you would want a Blackberry or an iPhone, certainly not an Android phone.

Ever heard of Droidwall? Any such thing for WP7?
 

mase123987

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Actually my private contacts were published to the internet. Anyone with a browser has the potential to log into "my account". Why is there no option to hide your contacts from everyone except yourself in the security options? I never used any Google services with my Android phone, yet it was fully-functional in every way.

I am going to call BS on you. Obviously you are just trying to troll. Obviously anyone can access your information if they log into your account, same with your bank account, library account, etc.
 

BackToAndroid

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If he is sideloading everything, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some paid apps he isn't paying for. Also, if your just downloading the apks from some website, you have a much higher chance of having malware on your phone.

Thanks. That's nice. I use mostly freeware/trials/open-source apps for my Android.
 
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