Giving apps access to your Dropbox?

[InfiniteLoopy]

Hi all,

More and more apps are working with Dropbox and that's great. However I wonder how safe it is. For example, I have my 1password file in there, and even though I know it's password protected, I don't want other developers to have access to my Dropbox's contents through their apps.

What are people's thoughts on this?

Thanks,

 

[Gokunama]

Want to hear developer's thoughts on this.

 

[vettori]

I was tempted in the past to ask users to enter DropBox or email account information on my apps to enhance them and do things that can't be done without that information. But later changed my mind because I don't want that any user may think I could read her documents or emails. I also avoid implementing features that require personal information to be sent to internet servers for the same reason.

For example, in my Group Email! app, having a DropBox account information could make it easier to attach documents that are in DropBox, but you can do a two-steps action and use the official DropBox app so there was no need for them. And to forward emails having email account information is necessary but you can do it using copy-paste.

In the AppStore there are so many developers that you probably can't trust them all and give your account information to all them. You may trust a few of them (big companies or small developers that are well known) and decide to enter you account information but you'll never be 100% secure that they will not read your data.

Then you should consider why a developer (like me) would ever want to read your email or your files in DropBox... Probably most are not interested.

 

[InfiniteLoopy]

I thought this thread would have more replies.

Perhaps Dropbox could allow certain apps to only see the contents of specific folders in the Dropbox. It may become messy to use though ...

 

[kuebby]

I'm sure it could be set up so that an app has access to only certain files in your dropbox.

Personally I haven't had any apps that tried to access my dropbox so I can't really say, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with it.

 

[Gokunama]

Well, aside from 1Password Pro info in DropBox, and a password is required to open that even in DropBox, I'm not too worried about developers looking through my other info, cause it really wouldn't do anything for them in any way.