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National Irish Bank Android App

  • 15-07-2012 12:44am
    #1
    Going Forward
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭


    I downloaded National Irish Bank's android app and it wants permission to access the phone's camera and gallery!

    Why in the world would a bank want this?


Comments

  • #2
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    Probably to avail of security features such as cam retina technology etc. Facebook bought into this stuff recently also the Galaxy 3 has it as a built in security feature


  • #3
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    Going Forward wrote: »
    I downloaded National Irish Bank's android app and it wants permission to access the phone's camera and gallery!

    Why in the world would a bank want this?

    Any app that wishes to use the camera, must ask you permission to do the above on android.
    (Because you'll be accessing that camera to instruct it to take a photo and the accessing the gallery if you want to then do anything with that picture) - quite what it'd like to use it for is a bit of a mystery, but my money is on QR codes.

    Granted it's not as interesting as Run_to_da_hills theory, but it has the added advantage of being grounded in reality.


  • #4
    donegal_man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,929 ✭✭✭donegal_man


    hooradiation wrote: »
    .................... my money is on QR codes. ........

    Exactly right
    Get the app from the Android Market or App Store. Search National Irish Bank via your smartphone or scan this code with your smartphone QR code scanner.
    Source, NIB Personal Banking Brochure (emphasis mine)


  • #5
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    Case solved, we can all go home early.

    Good job team!


  • #6
    LeinsterDub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭LeinsterDub


    donegal_man wrote: »
    hooradiation wrote: »
    .................... my money is on QR codes. ........

    Exactly right
    Get the app from the Android Market or App Store. Search National Irish Bank via your smartphone or scan this code with your smartphone QR code scanner.
    Source, NIB Personal Banking Brochure (emphasis mine)
    The qr scanning app is a completely different app. You scan the barcode and it will bring you to the play store to download..Not saying there is a ct here but the above bold text isn't relevant to the permissions the nib app requires


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  • #7
    studiorat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,408 ✭✭✭studiorat


    LeinsterDub wrote: »
    The qr scanning app is a completely different app. You scan the barcode and it will bring you to the play store to download..Not saying there is a ct here but the above bold text isn't relevant to the permissions the nib app requires

    Not quite correct, the camera hardware and it's services are part of any application which uses a barcode reader. A barcode reader may be part of an application as well as a standalone app.

    The camera is a protected device. A basic application has no permissions associated with it, meaning it can not do anything that would impact the user or any data on the device in an adverse manner. Before the camera is used by any service the user must grant permission for the app to use it.

    The camera is used to scan the barcodes on a bill for paying by credit transfer. Same as they scan your bills in the post office for example.

    I'd suggest the OP read the Terms and Conditions of their banking services. The use of the camera is explained there. By downloading the app you are agreeing to their T & C's by the way!



    .


  • #8
    studiorat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,408 ✭✭✭studiorat


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    Probably to avail of security features such as cam retina technology etc. Facebook bought into this stuff recently also the Galaxy 3 has it as a built in security feature

    For what it's worth. That's not actually a retinal scan. It takes a photo of your iris. There's a few Java based libraries such as VeriEye and MIRLIN which make a template and try and match pictures taken later to the original. Seems to work for phone unlocking and for the wow factor but it just takes a picture of your iris and not a particularly accurate one either. It's been marketed as retinal scanning but it's not.
    A bit like the X-Ray spec's of old I suppose!

    It should be possible to open the phone with a decent photo of your eye. Also the cameras aren't great in low light etc. so the technology isn't particularly robust.


  • #9
    Going Forward
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    studiorat wrote: »
    Not quite correct, the camera hardware and it's services are part of any application which uses a barcode reader. A barcode reader may be part of an application as well as a standalone app.

    The camera is a protected device. A basic application has no permissions associated with it, meaning it can not do anything that would impact the user or any data on the device in an adverse manner. Before the camera is used by any service the user must grant permission for the app to use it.

    The camera is used to scan the barcodes on a bill for paying by credit transfer. Same as they scan your bills in the post office for example.

    I'd suggest the OP read the Terms and Conditions of their banking services. The use of the camera is explained there. By downloading the app you are agreeing to their T & C's by the way!



    .

    Becoming a little muddled!
    what I have noticed is that even the most mundane apps are seeking (for example) permissions now to basically read everything in the phone.

    My understanding is that for those apps if one accepts and downloads the app you have at that point relinquished your power of choice on the permissions the app asked you to accept.

    in other words you do not know or control when exactly the app is doing its other "stuff" in the background.

    IE you are not asked for any further permission to allow it do what it does.

    If I want to scan a qr code I will be the one doing the scanning and therefore I will have initiated the process as opposed to an app which has already gotten the user's permission.

    I don't want it taking pictures of my ar*e at random!!!!


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