HD New 2014 Kindle Fires - discuss

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Blossom

You're welcome ES File Explorer is a must have app! It does pretty much everything.

For non-trusting people, the answer to why we get ES Explorer for free with no ads and lots of updates, might be found here, which I'll quote so you don't have to follow that link:

"Begin a recording session, open ES File Explorer, attempt to log in to Dropbox using a dummy account, not your own.

Go immediately back to Network Connection and explore where ES went.
Last I checked, that password - in fact the entire login screen - was a product of the ES Chinese servers.

Stop recording, add ES to your firewall blacklist."

I tried what that poster said using the free version of Network Connections, and yes, it shows packet travel to Chinese servers (see attached screenshot from the Network Connections app). Since it shows no other packet travel other than to a Chinese IP address, we can be sure that ES File Explorer acts as our login proxy to Dropbox.

Two things as possible defenses:
- We don't know if it actually collects/stores our logins/passwords.
- It may not be possible for an app to login for us and then do the chores of monitoring the Dropbox exchange without acting as our proxy, so this may not be out of the ordinary. Any web developer, please correct me.

And two suspicions, even if the defenses above are valid:
- Chinese servers
- Why does ES Explorer do this for free, with no usual revenue stream, and yet active development?

[zebradude]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=nav_cs_gb

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by jj2me

For non-trusting people, the answer to why we get ES Explorer for free with no ads and lots of updates, might be found here, which I'll quote so you don't have to follow that link:



I tried what that poster said using the free version of Network Connections, and yes, it shows packet travel to Chinese servers (see attached screenshot from the Network Connections app). Since it shows no other packet travel other than to a Chinese IP address, we can be sure that ES File Explorer acts as our login proxy to Dropbox.

Two things as possible defenses:
- We don't know if it actually collects/stores our logins/passwords.
- It may not be possible for an app to login for us and then do the chores of monitoring the Dropbox exchange without acting as our proxy, so this may not be out of the ordinary. Any web developer, please correct me.

And two suspicions, even if the defenses above are valid:
- Chinese servers
- Why does ES Explorer do this for free, with no usual revenue stream, and yet active development?

Thank you for this eye opening post! I deleted my ES Explorer app

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by zebradude

Thank you for this eye opening post! I deleted my ES Explorer app

ES File Explorer has been around for years. I seriously doubt that it's doing anything malicious.

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by HarryT

ES File Explorer has been around for years. I seriously doubt that it's doing anything malicious.

You would be amazed how much malware is hiding in Android Apps. A number of flashlight apps have been outed!

My Grandfather used to tell me when I was a Kid that "nothing is ever free"

I rather be safe than sorry.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by zebradude

You would be amazed how much malware is hiding in Android Apps.

Not at all, but ES File Explorer is a "big name" app that a significant proportion of Android users use. I may of course be wrong, but I'd be really surprised (and disappointed) if it's not legit.

[jj2me]

The question remains: What's in it for them?

They're so kind to give us this amazing free app with no ads, while not collecting anything from us. This altruistic Chinese development shop, despite having no discernible revenue stream, is so professional with their constant updates (weren't they the first file manager to implement Holo design?), and with their extremely proficient English.

Why would they want to store the Dropbox credentials that they get from us, which would open the door to even more passwords stored there by password managers for password sync'ing? Why would they collect my local PC credentials? Luckily, this altruistic company ES Strongs throws away the data, and is not pressured to give it to the Chinese government, which could accumulate it to have the capability to launch a major cyber attack.

Meanwhile, I''ll be trying other well-rated file managers, like X-plore (has ads), and Solid Explorer ($2 after a 14-day trial).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jj2me

The question remains: What's in it for them?

What's in it for me for uploading all these books to the MR library? People do occasionally do stuff because they like doing things for others.

[Blossom]

I agree with Harry. The developer is in Asia using their servers to help you access Dropbox nothing more. With ES File Explorer you can do so much more on Dropbox like multiple files moving, folders even. You couldn't do this without the help of their servers without using the desktop app. You simply don't understand how scripts work.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Blossom

You simply don't understand how scripts work.

No need to comment on my understanding or lack thereof.

I thought I posited that already:

Originally Posted by jj2me

...
- It may not be possible for an app to login for us and then do the chores of monitoring the Dropbox exchange without acting as our proxy, so this may not be out of the ordinary. Any web developer, please correct me.

...

Although I have a background of 30 years in datacomm networking and standards, including 10 as a developer and mixing in one in network security, I hedged in the above since I haven't done this type of work in web or smartphone development, so don't know for sure whether there might now possibly be some standard way to farm out authentication and authorization to trusted proxies.

Originally Posted by Blossom

I agree with Harry.

I don't believe Harry was so definitively certain.

Originally Posted by Blossom

The developer is in Asia using their servers to help you access Dropbox nothing more.

There is no way you can know this. About ES Explorer or any other app. Unless you see the code.


In my first post, I presented some more information to the puzzle. I made no conclusions. In my second post, I laid out the incongruity of:
a) a highly professional and costly app with no revenue or PR or ecosystem-lock-in benefit (this point I would always question),
b) lots of personal info going to Chinese servers, and
c) the potential value of that info to the Chinese military (see Huawei).

I still do not have a conclusion.

These are the possibilities as I see them:
A. if they're indeed being bad, it will take some experts catching them and reporting it.
B. if they're not being bad, it might be
i) they're collecting meta-data, which isn't any more harmful or intrusive than what others do, or
ii) they're just the sweetest, kindest philanthropists to be spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket each year (one example: for purchasing needed test cell phones), not counting their labor.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by jj2me

These are the possibilities as I see them:
A. if they're indeed being bad, it will take some experts catching them and reporting it.
B. if they're not being bad, it might be
i) they're collecting meta-data, which isn't any more harmful or intrusive than what others do, or
ii) they're just the sweetest, kindest philanthropists to be spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket each year (one example: for purchasing needed test cell phones), not counting their labor.

Well I hope your wrong as I use ES File Explorer too on both my Kindle Fires and my Android tablet.

You could say exactly the same thing about any free app or program. Take Calibre for example. That is freeware. I personally couldn't manage without it but what does Kovid gain from its development. Nothing from me at all.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

You could say exactly the same thing about any free app or program. Take Calibre for example. That is freeware. I personally couldn't manage without it but what does Kovid gain from its development. Nothing from me at all.

Kovid asks for donations. I would hope that anyone who makes extensive use of Calibre is generous enough to make such a donation.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Kovid asks for donations. I would hope that anyone who makes extensive use of Calibre is generous enough to make such a donation.

I did when I first installed it. My point was sometimes people want things for themselves and allow others to use them once developed. That may have been how ES File Explorer started.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I did when I first installed it. My point was sometimes people want things for themselves and allow others to use them once developed. That may have been how ES File Explorer started.

Yes, that's the reason I create ebooks for the MR library. They are primarily for me; if other people enjoy them too, that's just a bonus.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Well I hope your wrong as I use ES File Explorer too on both my Kindle Fires and my Android tablet.

You could say exactly the same thing about any free app or program. Take Calibre for example. That is freeware. I personally couldn't manage without it but what does Kovid gain from its development. Nothing from me at all.

There are other apps from Asian developers that use Dropbox take Moon+ Reader for example. I'm sure info gets sent back to the developer's server. Most Android apps go through a third party to log into services like Dropbox, Google, Box, Facebook, Twitter.