Don’t tap “Allow all” just to use an app: the data isn’t mandatory, and refusing to share it won’t block service access
Original: eternity4719 · source details
Original author: eternity4719 · Chinese source: · English adaptation: parveen0029. Translation and grade notes ↗
Bibliographic titles are retained in their original language.
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Cost and benefit at a glance
- Check the cost Cost ↓
- No cost involved. The hard part is resisting the urge to tap “Allow all.”
- Then the source benefit Benefit ↓
- Two key legal points apply here. First, providers may not deny products or services on the grounds that a user hasn’t consented or has withdrawn consent — unless processing that da…
In plain terms
Apps request your data. If that data isn’t strictly necessary to deliver the service, the app can’t deny you access just because you refuse to share it. It may only collect what it actually needs. For instance, a map app needs your location, but a flashlight app has no business asking for your contacts list.
This guide's cartoon · show illustration
Enlarge illustrationOriginal illustration with Chinese lettering; the English dialogue is below. Humour is a reading aid, not evidence.
English dialogue
- One password for everything?
- So every door takes the same key?
Cost: what it takes
No cost involved. The hard part is resisting the urge to tap “Allow all.”
Benefit: what the source reports
Two key legal points apply here. First, providers may not deny products or services on the grounds that a user hasn’t consented or has withdrawn consent — unless processing that data is genuinely essential to delivering the service. Second, data collection must stay limited to what’s absolutely required for the intended purpose; only the minimal amount needed may be gathered.
Conditions, limits and disagreements
The deciding factor is simple: is this data truly essential to providing the service? Location data is essential for a map app, but contact lists aren’t needed for a flashlight app. After installing an app, head to your phone’s settings under app permissions and turn off any nonessential permissions. Grant access only when you genuinely need them, and even then, limit it to a one-time permission.
Original references
Original bibliographic titles and links are preserved; some titles are in Chinese.
全国人大常委会 (2021). 个人信息保护法. 中国人大网. http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c2/c30834/202108/t20210820_313088.html：第六条「收集个人信息，应当限于实现处理目的的最小范围，不得过度收集个人信息」；第十六条「个人信息处理者不得以个人不同意处理其个人信息或者撤回同意为由，拒绝提供产品或者服务；处理个人信息属于提供产品或者服务所必需的除外」；第十五条「基于个人同意处理个人信息的，个人有权撤回其同意。个人信息处理者应当提供便捷的撤回同意的方式」
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