8 Trackers found

[liquid_ter]

In Aquamail (1.18.0-1396) Exodus -> https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/search/ [nofollow] finds 8 Trackers in the program Code:

    Facebook Ads
    Google Ads
    Google Analytics
    Google DoubleClick
    Google Firebase Analytics
    Inmobi
    Moat
    Twitter MoPub


Explain to me please, what your goal is in embedding these trackers.




edit due to spelling mistake

[Justin]

Obviously you meant this report:
https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/51144/

[liquid_ter]

Yes, thank you this is the direct link to the result of Exodus.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

These are ads (for free version, not used by the Pro version by it's same .apk) and analytics.

[liquid_ter]

Thank you very much for this information.
Did I understand correctly that my AquaMail pro version does not send any information about the usage and no statistics / analytics?

It remains a bad feeling that unwanted information will be transmitted as long as these trackers are included in the pro version. Could you please remove the code from the AquaMail pro version?

[mikeone]

Thank you very much for this information.
Did I understand correctly that my AquaMail pro version does not send any information about the usage and no statistics?

Go to the settings > About > and disable the option "Send usage statistics"
... that's it (for Pro and for the Free version)

[liquid_ter]

Yes, thank you - I have ticked the box (idle) in the options since Flurry was temporarily integrated back then. But there are now 8 trackers and I can't and don't want to check again and again if all trackers are switched off.
When the code is removed there is no more uncertainty about what is happening in the background.
Therefore I would like to suggest that in AquaMail pro the code could be removed.

[phred]

Therefore I would like to suggest that in AquaMail pro the code could be removed.

I don't speak for Kostya (or for MobiSystems) but it's not very efficient to remove the code as you suggest. That would then require two versions (free and pro) instead of one version plus an unlocker. If Kostya says the pro version doesn't use those, then they aren't used.

[because]

Therefore I would like to suggest that in AquaMail pro the code could be removed.

I don't speak for Kostya (or for MobiSystems) but it's not very efficient to remove the code as you suggest. That would then require two versions (free and pro) instead of one version plus an unlocker. If Kostya says the pro version doesn't use those, then they aren't used.

It's actually quite easy to remove the code.. it can be isolated in a separate library / function, and be a compile time option.

And while Kostyaor MobiSystems may be honourable... when it comes to privacy and trust these days?  No one is beyond question.

There should be MORE questions about such things, not less.

[liquid_ter]

AquaMail is a really good mail program, but even if you pay 10 Euro per version, the trackers (statistics / analytics) are not removed. Without the trackers I don't have to constantly check my trust and can be happy about a very good piece of software every day.
I consider this a legitimate request and would be happy if my wish is granted.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

We don't use Flurry these days - switched to Firebase Analytics.

The setting (in app settings) still works - when off we make special function call to disable Firebase Analytics reporting.

All the others are from ads. We use several ad networks and some pull in their own reporting libraries.

But:

When the app is activated to Pro, we don't show any ads and don't initialize any ad SDKs. And so, there should be (emphasis on "should") nothing to report by ad SDKs and whatever analytics they have "inside" - because Pro version doesn't request ads, and doesn't even initialize ad SDKs.

A few more specifics:

Flurry SDK is actually not included there are some files that one ad SDK pulls in but it's not the whole Flurry SDK just a technical dependency.

Google Analytics is pulled in by another Google thing that we use - Google Tag Manager. We explicitly turn off Google Analytics at startup because we don't use it.

Moat is "ad view analytics" and we don't use it so I expect that soon it should be removed completely.

---

Re: It's actually quite easy to remove the code.. it can be isolated in a separate library / function, and be a compile time option.

Sorry you missed the point. There is still a single Free / Pro .apk file so the code is always going to be there.

And speaking of programming techniques - all ad related code is in one file, but we can't "delete" it from the already installed app once it's activated.

[liquid_ter]

Thank you for this detailed information about the functionality of the tracker in AquaMail.
Is it possible to buy one AquaMail pro version without first installing the free version?
I would pay for it again.
In my opinion it is becoming more and more important for the user to offer software without a tracker. In any case, I would be very happy if AquaMail went this way.
I dream of a version without tracker and the possibility to encrypt and decrypt email with OpenKeychain.

[phred]

Is it possible to buy one AquaMail pro version without first installing the free version?
I would pay for it again.

There are -not- two versions of AM. What you pay for is an 'unlocker' which unlocks the Pro features that are not available in the free version. Like the ability to have an unlimited number of accounts. Or to disable ads. What the unlocker does is unlock the free version. Therefore there is only one version.

[because]

Everyone knows there is CURRENTLY one apk/version.  No one questions that.  No one *cares*, because what people are asking for is TWO versions.

One free, one pro.  Thousands and thousands andf thousands of other developers / apps do it this way.  It is in fact very, very easy to do.  Even converting users over to two versions, is very easy to do.

And truthfully, it wasn't the users that added tracking.. it was mobisystsems.  You sold people something, they paid for it, then you *changed* it.  Modified it, post-sale, to add tracking.  So do you really think end-users care, if you have to do more work, to fix up the work you created for yourself?

Franky, I'm not really all that concerned.. because you WILL get caught eventually if the pro version still spies, and if it sells info to ad networks.  However, pretending that it can't be done because there is currently only one version?  That's just a slap on the face to users.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

Wow wow wow, "selling to ad networks", "slap in the face"......