I just came across this October 2019 article on C|NET whose lead is: "Religious apps with sinful permissions requests are more common than you think: Christian Android apps account for hundreds of millions of downloads on the Google Play Store -- and too many are data devils"
I will acknowledge that I've naively assumed that the Bible apps I use are not problematic, but it's worth checking out the permissions your Bible app requests. If you're like me, you usually just click through those things.
The article highlights problems with some King James Bible apps and especially notes issues with apps connected to the Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Mingle and Christian Matrimony, Cold Case Christianity, and the Bible Verses App from SpringTech. (This last is identified basically as a browser hijacker.) I haven't used any of those apps, but there is a long section on the YouVersion Bible app which I do use and have on my phone now. Apparently they have been reducing the number of permissions it requires, but I just went and looked on the Google Play store for what's going on with the Android version. Here's what it says:
YouVersion
This app has access to:
Contacts
Logos
This app has access to:
Contacts
Accordance:
This app has access to:
Photos/Media/Files
I will acknowledge that I've naively assumed that the Bible apps I use are not problematic, but it's worth checking out the permissions your Bible app requests. If you're like me, you usually just click through those things.
The article highlights problems with some King James Bible apps and especially notes issues with apps connected to the Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Mingle and Christian Matrimony, Cold Case Christianity, and the Bible Verses App from SpringTech. (This last is identified basically as a browser hijacker.) I haven't used any of those apps, but there is a long section on the YouVersion Bible app which I do use and have on my phone now. Apparently they have been reducing the number of permissions it requires, but I just went and looked on the Google Play store for what's going on with the Android version. Here's what it says:
YouVersion
This app has access to:
Contacts
- find accounts on the device
- read your contacts
- view Wi-Fi connections
- find accounts on the device
- read your own contact card
- approximate location (network-based)
- precise location (GPS and network-based)
- read the contents of your USB storage
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
- read the contents of your USB storage
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
- take pictures and videos
- receive data from Internet
- run at startup
- prevent device from sleeping
- connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
- allow Wi-Fi Multicast reception
- view network connections
- use accounts on the device
- control vibration
- read Google service configuration
- full network access
Logos
This app has access to:
Contacts
- find accounts on the device
- add or remove accounts
- find accounts on the device
- precise location (GPS and network-based)
- read the contents of your USB storage
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
- read the contents of your USB storage
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
- receive data from Internet
- create accounts and set passwords
- read Google service configuration
- use accounts on the device
- view network connections
- full network access
- prevent device from sleeping
Accordance:
This app has access to:
Photos/Media/Files
- read the contents of your USB storage
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
- read the contents of your USB storage
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
- view network connections
- full network access.
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