KDEConnect/PrivacyPolicy: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:26, 20 September 2023

KDE Connect never sends any information to KDE nor to any third party. KDE Connect sends data from one device to the other directly using the local network, never through the internet. Network traffic is always encrypted using TLS1.2.

Transmission of user data between paired devices

KDE Connect allows users to share data between their connected devices through the local network. Users can limit this sharing by disabling the respective plugin. As no data is transmitted without user action, they can also limit sharing by simply not requesting data on the connected device.

The following list contains some common plugins, what data they share, and how the user can limit sharing.

Clipboard Plugin: Shares the clipboards on the user's devices, allowing seamless copy-paste. Users can disable the plugin.
Contacts Plugin: Shares contacts from the user's mobile device to their connected device. Users can disable the plugin or decline the plugin's permission to share data.
Filesystem Expose: Allows users to "mount" the device on their connected device as if it were a local filesystem and browse as if it were a local filesystem, allowing sharing of any files. Users can disable the plugin, decline to configure the plugin, or not use the functionality.
Share Plugin: Allows a user to explicitly share files, images, or text. Users can disable the plugin or not request KDE Connect to share any file or text.
SMS Plugin: Share's users messages (SMS/MMS/RCS) from their mobile device to their connected device. Users can compose messages on the connected device and transmit them to the mobile device to send. Users can disable the plugin or not use the functionality on the connected device.

Android permissions

KDE Connect requests the following permissions on Android, for the following reasons:

STORAGE: To save received files and to read files to send.
CONTACTS: When you receive a phone call or SMS, KDE Connect looks up the caller/sender on your contact list to display the contact name instead of the number.
NOTIFICATIONS: For the notifications plugins to be able to forward the notifications to your desktop.
SMS: For the SMS plugin to forward SMS to your desktop and to be able to reply them.
BATTERY: For the battery plugin to report the battery on your desktop.
LOCATION: The location permission is required to know to which WiFi network you are connected. If you use the Trusted Networks feature (to restrict autodiscovery only to known networks), you will need to gran the "background location" permission. Otherwise this permission is not needed.
ACCESSIBILITY: Required to receive input from another device to control your Android phone.
QUERY INSTALLED PACKAGES: To be able to filter which notifications are forwarded from the PC, KDE Connect will enumerate all the apps installed on your device.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+KDE Connect never sends any information to KDE nor to any third party. KDE Connect sends data from one device to the other directly using the local network, never through the internet. Network traffic is always encrypted using TLS1.2.
+== Transmission of user data between paired devices ==
+KDE Connect allows users to share data between their connected devices through the local network. Users can limit this sharing by disabling the respective plugin. As no data is transmitted without user action, they can also limit sharing by simply not requesting data on the connected device.
+The following list contains some common plugins, what data they share, and how the user can limit sharing.
+* ''Clipboard Plugin'': Shares the clipboards on the user's devices, allowing seamless copy-paste. Users can disable the plugin.
+* ''Contacts Plugin'': Shares contacts from the user's mobile device to their connected device. Users can disable the plugin or decline the plugin's permission to share data.
+* ''Filesystem Expose'': Allows users to "mount" the device on their connected device as if it were a local filesystem and browse  as if it were a local filesystem, allowing sharing of any files. Users can disable the plugin, decline to configure the plugin, or not use the functionality.
+* ''Share Plugin'': Allows a user to explicitly share files, images, or text. Users can disable the plugin or not request KDE Connect to share any file or text.
+* ''SMS Plugin'': Share's users messages (SMS/MMS/RCS) from their mobile device to their connected device. Users can compose messages on the connected device and transmit them to the mobile device to send. Users can disable the plugin or not use the functionality on the connected device.
+== Android permissions ==
 KDE Connect requests the following permissions on Android, for the following reasons:
-* ''INTERNET'': Even though we never connect through the internet (only through local network), Android requires this permission even for that.
 * ''STORAGE'': To save received files and to read files to send.
 * ''CONTACTS'': When you receive a phone call or SMS, KDE Connect looks up the caller/sender on your contact list to display the contact name instead of the number.
@@ Line 7: / Line 22: @@
 * ''SMS'': For the SMS plugin to forward SMS to your desktop and to be able to reply them.
 * ''BATTERY'': For the battery plugin to report the battery on your desktop.
+* ''LOCATION'': The location permission is required to know to which WiFi network you are connected. If you use the Trusted Networks feature (to restrict autodiscovery only to known networks), you will need to gran the "background location" permission. Otherwise this permission is not needed.
+* ''ACCESSIBILITY'': Required to receive input from another device to control your Android phone.
-None of the information that KDE Connect can read ever leaves your phone unencrypted, and '''never ever reaches the internet at all.
+* ''QUERY INSTALLED PACKAGES'': To be able to filter which notifications are forwarded from the PC, KDE Connect will enumerate all the apps installed on your device.
+*
-In the future, all these permissions will be made optional, so you can decide not to even allow KDE Connect to access some of this data. As of now, only the notifications permission is made optional.