As a software company, every single one of our employees use mobile applications on a daily basis. It’s what we do. After all, we live and breathe this stuff! We use them just like everyone else, which means that we also experience the same questions and concerns regarding our privacy with our own personal information. Everyone has seen the screen when an app asks for permission to access your stuff. Frankly, sometimes you wish you could just call up the company and say, “Hey, just let me use the app…you don’t need this info.”
We hear you…we’ve felt the same way.
The truth is, however, for an app like browsAR to do what it does, and allow you to use it and function, it does need this information.
We, at Gravity Jack, couldn’t be happier to offer you the world’s best augmented reality browser (not to mention QR code reader!) and have been amazed at the great response it’s received! Being the best, we want to be sure that each and every one of our users know why we ask for the information we do, and what it allows us to offer them! While we are sure your likes, interests, and email address are very interesting, here’s why we ask for the permissions we ask for. (Hint: It ain’t readin’ material for our lobby.)
[ For those short on time ]
It tells Facebook that you’re ok with us. Once they know that, they allow us to show you awesome, interactive, and fully-engaging augmented reality, catered all around you. After all, you are why we created the best AR in the world!
[ If you’re a reader, and have a couple minutes ]
We’ve broken it down in detail for you, so everyone’s on the same page! If you have any questions, you’re always welcome to send us an email directly, here!
• Access my basic information: Includes name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, list of friends, and any other information I’ve made public
What it lets us offer you: This is standard for all applications connecting to Facebook. Frankly, we have to distinguish one account from another.
• Access my profile information: Likes, Music, TV, Movies, Books, Quotes, Activities, Interests, Groups, Events, Birthday, Hometown, Current City, Religious and Political Views, Education History and Work History
This information enables browsAR to provide you with relevant augmented reality content that you care about. Without it, we can’t offer you AR related to your favorite books, movies, or even interests.
• Access my family & relationships, and read my check-ins: Significant Other and Relationship Details and Family Members and Relationship Status
Now, we realize that this information is getting personal. Here’s why we ask: A coming feature integrates directly with your relationships. Using Geolocation, you will be able to find your friends and family in augmented reality!
• Send me email: browsAR may email me directly
This one is more common. Like many other apps, we ask for this information so that, in the event that we need to email you to send you info, account validation information, etc…we can! We aren’t big fans of spam when we get it, and we won’t send it to you!
• Manage my pages: browsAR may login as any of my 1 Pages:
This one sounds weird. Why would we want to manage the pages you control!? Well, to be honest, we don’t (running the Gravity Jack and browsAR pages are plenty!). This simply means, as a page owner, you can create QARs, as the page you manage. Have a page for your company? Hosting a run for a good cause? This allows you to make a QAR for a page, stick it anywhere and watch the Likes roll in!
• Post to Facebook as me: browsAR may post status messages, notes, photos, and videos on my behalf.
While we may post them to OUR wall, we promise, we will never post videos of our COO moon-walking to your Facebook wall. We actually only require this because in order to create a QAR for your personal profile, we must have this access.
• Access posts in my News Feed
Again, this plays a role in allowing you to create a QAR, but also gives you the option of posting that thing right smack on your timeline (if you want).
• Access my data any time: browsAR may access my data when I’m not using the application.
This is another, “Hey, why do you need this?” Currently we request access when you use the app. Let’s say your QAR is posted on your business card. When someone scans it, even if you’re asleep and not using browsAR, we still want to be able to show them your AR content that is on your business card! If we can’t access it…it becomes difficult. In order for us to deliver relevant augmented reality we need to be able to access this regularly.
• Send me SMS messages: browsAR may send SMS messages to my phone
While you may never receive a text message from us, here at Gravity Jack, there are features in the near future that can allow you to vote in polls, send content to friends, etc…In order to access these options and continue creating relevant, engaging use cases for the greatest augmented reality browser you will ever need, we ask for this permission. Like we said, at this point, we wouldn’t wait up for a goodnight text. You’ll likely never get it.
We hope this helps provide clarity on how we use your info as well as continue to move forward, creating awesome augmented reality for the future. Think of browsAR as the lens to your facebook profile. Without access, you will be missing out on a lot of what we currently offer, and even more of what we are releasing soon.
We can’t force you to download browsAR. We wouldn’t want to. We do have a habit of impressing big time when you do! We appreciate your interest in browsAR and can’t wait to blow your mind!
