[aerogear-dev] Storing the payload of the push notification

Fri Feb 6 06:40:12 EST 2015

On Fri, Feb 6, 2015 at 11:56 AM, Bruno Oliveira <bruno at abstractj.org> wrote:

> On 2015-02-05, Matthias Wessendorf wrote:
> > On Thu, Feb 5, 2015 at 9:57 PM, Summers Pittman <supittma at redhat.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > >  On 02/05/2015 02:24 PM, Matthias Wessendorf wrote:
> > >
> > > While working on the doc for AGPUSH-1258, I found this in Apple's "iOS
> > > Developer Program License Agreement":
> > >
> > >  ...
> > > Further, as a condition to using the APN, You agree not to transmit
> > > sensitive personal or confidential information belonging to an
> individual
> > > (e.g. a social security number, financial account or transactional
> > > information, or any information where the individual may have a
> reasonable
> > > expectation of secure transmission) as part of any Push Notification,
> and
> > > You agree to comply with any applicable notice or consent requirements
> with
> > > respect to any collection, transmission, maintenance, processing or
> use of
> > > an end user’s personal information.
> > >  ...
> > >
> > >  That means, if an app-developer sends something like "Your blood
> > > donation appointment is tomorrow" to a user of his mobile app, the
> > > app-developer is breaking the Apple terms _and_ the law in a lot of
> > > countries (at least in all EU countries) :-)
> > >
> > > What we have to remember is that large amounts of information in
> aggregate
> > > can become personally identifying even if any individual message is
> not.
> > > So the law in this case doesn't help since it is only the data in
> context
> > > which becomes personally identifying or protected.
> > >
> > > I don't think anyone is advocating for sending sensitive information
> via
> > > push, but what we are advocating is not putting a big target on our
> (or our
> > > user's) backs out of the gate by storing all of the messages by
> default.
> > >
> >
> > Let's make storing the 'alert' an option, which needs to be enabled, and
> is
> > turned off by default.
> >
> > This allows those that want to use the UPS for marekting reasons, to
> > explicitly enable it. The enabling should be done with a proper*
> > dialog/step inside of the setup-wizard that is planed for 1.1.x
> >
> > proper=> make it explicit that the UPS stores data, and link to privacy
> > policy etc. the entire thing :-)
>
> +1 on privacy policy
>
> -1 on let people enable/disable for marketing reasons.
>

Wrong word - I mean analytics. See previous email with more details

>
> >
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> >
> > >  BTW. for Google I don't seem to find a similar paragraph, but IMO they
> > > are not that thoughtful on privacy terms (compared to Apple).
> > >
> > >
> > >  Now, for our UPS guide (or documentation), I will add a few sentences
> to
> > > make it clear that our app-developers should NEVER submit sensitive
> > > personal or confidential information with a push.
> > >
> > >  Regarding a "Privacy Policy", I will also make clear what data of the
> > > push we store, for analytic reasons.
> > >
> > >  You'll see a PR during my Friday.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >  Greetings,
> > > Matthias
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, Feb 4, 2015 at 2:53 PM, Matthias Wessendorf <matzew at apache.org
> >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >> I have created AGPUSH-1257 and AGPUSH-1258
> > >>
> > >> On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 3:22 PM, Matthias Wessendorf <
> matzew at apache.org>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>>  Hi,
> > >>>
> > >>> earlier this week there was some discussion about storing the
> payload of
> > >>> the push notifications ([1]).
> > >>>
> > >>> Right now, we store some metrics (e.g. client that send the push,
> number
> > >>> of devices, deliveryStatus etc) *and* the entire content of push
> > >>> notification. This includes custom key/value pairs, the name of the
> sound
> > >>> file or even the size of the badge.
> > >>>
> > >>> Is all of that, storing the entire push notification payload really
> > >>> needed? *No!*
> > >>>
> > >>> What do we need, and why?
> > >>>
> > >>> For counting the number of sent pushes (over time), the metrics are
> good
> > >>> enough. We do *NOT* need any of the push content for that, that's
> > >>> correct!
> > >>>
> > >>> But we want to do more on the 1.1.0 release. We want to introduce
> some
> > >>> analytic features, to give our app developers (our users) a better
> > >>> understanding of their push usage (see [2]).
> > >>>
> > >>> In order to see details on how successful a push was (or not), we
> need
> > >>> to only store the value of the alert key:
> > >>>
> https://aerogear.org/docs/unifiedpush/aerogear-push-ios/img/PushMessage.png
> > >>>
> > >>> Ok, let's change that (see [3])!
> > >>>
> > >>> For our app developers, using the UPS to reach out to their mobile
> app
> > >>> users ("user engagement"), it's important to understand which push
> was more
> > >>> successful:
> > >>>
> > >>>    - "Get 10% discount today" (sent on a Monday)
> > >>>    - "Our shop got new site, check it out and get 5% discount" (sent
> on
> > >>>    a Friday)
> > >>>
> > >>> With the upcoming analytics we can help them to improve usage of
> their
> > >>> app. User interaction is very important to a successful mobile
> application
> > >>> and push is a key driver here! Our app developers want an app that is
> > >>> actively used by their users (Nobody wants his app sitting on the
> last page
> > >>> of the device or, even worse, in a folder together with Apple-Maps).
> > >>> Therefore it's critical for our app developers to understand the
> relevance
> > >>> of their push messages sent and how it impacts the usage of their
> app.
> > >>> That's why we do the analytics described in [2]. And, yes - only the
> alert,
> > >>> not the entire payload is needed for that.
> > >>>  <https://gist.github.com/matzew/b6459083f39394a892c5#privacy
> >Privacy
> > >>>
> > >>> On the mentioned PR there was also some discussion about privacy
> > >>> violations and stuff, when we store the content of the notification.
> An
> > >>> example where *sensitive* data was sent over push was given.
> Something
> > >>> like: "Dear Mr. Joe, your blood donation appointment was scheduled
> for 3
> > >>> p.m"
> > >>>
> > >>>    1. This is not how push notifications are used for mobile apps.
> Push
> > >>>    is to signal, not carry actual (sensitive) data around.
> > >>>    2. In a lot of countries, at least almost all European countries,
> > >>>    you are not even allowed, by EU law, to give "data" to 3rd party
> providers
> > >>>    (like the push-networks of Microsoft, Apple or Google).
> > >>>
> > >>> How does the actual (sensitive) data come to an app?
> > >>>
> > >>> As said above a push is used to signal/ping an app, to indicate that
> > >>> there is real data for the mobile app user. In the background the
> mobile
> > >>> app tries to connect to the backend of the company,
> running/maintaining the
> > >>> mobile app. After the real data was fetched, "local notifcations"
> are used
> > >>> to give the user a visible notification, like "Dear Mr. Joe, your
> blood
> > >>> donation appointment was scheduled for 3 p.m", or simply "New
> appointment
> > >>> scheduled".
> > >>>
> > >>> If the app was a chat system (and not a blood donation app from the
> Red
> > >>> Cross), it would be the same: After a signal, the app connects to
> "chat
> > >>> server" and receives the actual chat message from there. A reply
> would go
> > >>> over the same "chat server" connection. None of this would go over a
> 3rd
> > >>> party push network provider like Google, Microsoft or Apple.
> > >>>
> > >>> What would we store from these silent notifications?
> > >>>
> > >>> Nothing, since there is no alert, we would just store the metrics
> (e.g.
> > >>> client that send the push, number of devices, deliveryStatus etc).
> If the
> > >>> signaling is actually done with an alert (e.g. alert:"you got a new
> Chat
> > >>> text" or "New appointment scheduled"), we would store that.
> > >>>
> > >>> I hope this helps a bit to understand what is stored and also why we
> do
> > >>> need a little bit of information.
> > >>>
> > >>> BTW. our documentation already says that push is used for signaling,
> not
> > >>> carrying actual data around, but based on this email I will update
> it to
> > >>> have explicit information on best practices. Also, the documentation
> will
> > >>> be clear about what (the alert only) is stored by the UPS, and why.
> (see
> > >>> [4])
> > >>>
> > >>> Greetings,
> > >>>
> > >>> Matthias
> > >>>
> > >>>    - [1]
> > >>>    https://github.com/aerogear/aerogear-unifiedpush-server/pull/478
> > >>>    - [2] https://issues.jboss.org/browse/AGPUSH-971
> > >>>    - [3] JIRA TO CREATE: to only store ALERT and not the full payload
> > >>>    - [4] JIRA TO CREATE: update doc regarding push message storage
> and
> > >>>    best practices
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>  --
> > >>> Matthias Wessendorf
> > >>>
> > >>> blog: http://matthiaswessendorf.wordpress.com/
> > >>> sessions: http://www.slideshare.net/mwessendorf
> > >>> twitter: http://twitter.com/mwessendorf
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>  --
> > >> Matthias Wessendorf
> > >>
> > >> blog: http://matthiaswessendorf.wordpress.com/
> > >> sessions: http://www.slideshare.net/mwessendorf
> > >> twitter: http://twitter.com/mwessendorf
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >  --
> > > Matthias Wessendorf
> > >
> > > blog: http://matthiaswessendorf.wordpress.com/
> > > sessions: http://www.slideshare.net/mwessendorf
> > > twitter: http://twitter.com/mwessendorf
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > aerogear-dev mailing listaerogear-dev at lists.jboss.orghttps://
> lists.jboss.org/mailman/listinfo/aerogear-dev
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Summers Pittman
> > > >>Phone:404 941 4698
> > > >>Java is my crack.
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > aerogear-dev at lists.jboss.org
> > > https://lists.jboss.org/mailman/listinfo/aerogear-dev
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Matthias Wessendorf
> >
> > blog: http://matthiaswessendorf.wordpress.com/
> > sessions: http://www.slideshare.net/mwessendorf
> > twitter: http://twitter.com/mwessendorf
>
> > _______________________________________________
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> > aerogear-dev at lists.jboss.org
> > https://lists.jboss.org/mailman/listinfo/aerogear-dev
>
>
> --
>
> abstractj
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-- 
Matthias Wessendorf

blog: http://matthiaswessendorf.wordpress.com/
sessions: http://www.slideshare.net/mwessendorf
twitter: http://twitter.com/mwessendorf
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