It requires top level security access to your entire computer. It’s designed to always be silently running even if you reboot. The application hides itself from being listed in your applications so there is no way to delete it without coding experience by using the command line terminal on your computer and trying to hunt for all the files it installed.
I just spent 30 minutes trying to install it to pay taxes online because my wife said it would be easier than going to the tax office.
Now I’ve spent another hour trying to uninstall it.
For anyone who has this same problem, here’s an article on how to uninstall it.
You basically have to download something else that lets you uninstall it. With Apple it well tell you a bunch of times that the thing you’re trying to download is unsafe, so you need to go into the settings and waiver all the security warnings where it tells you not to install it.
Then after you’ve installed this “uninstaller” it will remove some of the program, but won’t remove it completely. There will still be login files that show up every time you restart your computer.
To remove them, you need to go into your command line terminal and run:
I just go in person when I’m already going to be in the area, I’ve never spent more than 30 minutes. Shouldn’t have to struggle with terrible tech, but at least going in person is relatively painless.
The times when I’ve spent more than 30 minutes have been because the tax office opened at 8:30 am and the small office bank opened at 9 am. I had to pay something.
I used to bring a small sheet of paper almost like a form 1040 but I hear that’s not necessary and they can look up your information in a database by ARC number. I think I recall once they asked to see my work permit but not recent times.
Also there’s a cool receipt with some official-looking government stamp if you want it.
So are most apps. The easiest way to avoid scams and fraud is don’t be so naive and ignorant. Go in person, pay with cash. 109% flawless.
People complain about proper taiwnaese banks because you need to spend an hour. Meanwhile they spend 10s of hours weekly or monthly dealing with the “convenient spyware” route.
It would be more funny if it weren’t so pervasive in society now. Proof positive our schools have failed.
This seems like a potentially huge vulnerability. Reminds me of the 2017 Russian NotPetya attack that (primarily) hit Ukraine.
Pretty much every corporate computer in Ukraine had it as it was their governmental tax accounting software.
I know we have Audrey Tang somewhere on the forum, this might be something to bring up to them. Don’t know if they are still active here. Somehow doubt it.
Only takes 3 minutes at the tax office for me, and there’s a rare good restaurant nearby. I wish they didn’t take more than they need and hold interest and make me wait 9 months to get my money back, but the process is pretty painless.
I am talking about apps in general. LINE, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or etc. I didn’t realize this was new news
Don’t give out permissions without checking (and fully understanding) the thousands of pages of legal disclaimers if one doesn’t want to be scammed. Even south park had an entire episode about this very issue like a escape ago. It’s common knowledge by now, surely. It’s easier to pay in cash and leave soon when doing tuings in person. No safety issue.
Just 1 app has a lot of side companies connected to it, which all should be read and fact checked. This extrapolates to probably hundreds of hours of reading and recording to be sure. Almost no one does that outside of lawyers and industry. Cash takes no time to fact check. Just the time to drive there, wait in line and leave right away because cash is easy and secure.
If you are talking on a technical coding level, I am more than interested to know the details. As are many others I would think. But as a broad brush, it’s best to think of apps and permissions granted as an infringement on security. No one should connect private data and financial permissions to unknown apps (ie. Not those hundreds of hours of reading). SOP.
If there are specific security flaws, especially with government apps, we should point them out and embarrass them into fixing the mistakes. My bet, however, is that most have loopholes intentionally for their own gains. Including government ones. But, to be fair, government is probably the most inept one out there, as far as design goes. Companies are almost always intentionally doing so, in that they are trying to steal your stuff legally. The government tends to just be retarded and allows shit heads to steal.
Thank fuck we still have banks which require paperwork and safety. The China infiltration issue is not fake. Nor is the rampant scam, fraud and other crime here. Real deal.
That’s the point though, Taiwan’s government app doesn’t even ask or warn you that it’s going to install a system-wide trusted certificate into your macOS keychain which puts it on the same level of trust as Apple or Google and puts your computer at risk.
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