Mastodawn

Why we currently do not recommend the @rodentapp Mastodon client:

it's not #opensource let alone #FLOSS
it's only available from Google's Play store
it contains trackers (Google Crashlytics and Google Firebase Analytics)
it wants access to your ad ID

In short, this app is against the spirit of Mastodon and the Fediverse. There are plenty of Mastodon apps that respect you: @Tusky, Fedilab (@apps), @moshidon …

#Mastodon #Rodent #Android #App #AlternativeTo #Alternative

Report for social.rodent 1.28.0

Known trackers, permissions and informations about this specific version of this application

εxodus

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switching.software Mar 21, 2025

Mind you, Rodent is not beyond hope. Future versions could address these issues. And it's not the worst Mastodon app as it stands. That prize goes to Focus for Mastodon which comes with 9 trackers and wants 39 permissions:

https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/de/reports/521690/

Report for allen.town.focus.mastodon 2.12.3.20241023

Known trackers, permissions and informations about this specific version of this application

εxodus

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dzm 🇺🇦 🤍❤️🤍Mar 21, 2025

@switchingsoftware dammit :(
This is the only app I found that groups new toots by their author. I find this approach much more manageable than just a stream of all toots and boosts from everybody together.

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🦃 Kat Callahan

🦃Mar 21, 2025

@switchingsoftware @rodentapp @Tusky @apps @moshidon

So, you're saying this app is a... Rat.

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Rodent App Mar 21, 2025

@switchingsoftware @dzm @jezebelkat Boy, I've worked for hundreds of hours to develop Rodent and the only thing I ask in exchange is to know how many people are using it 😅

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switching.software Mar 21, 2025

@rodentapp Nice try. The libraries you integrated into Rodent allow you (and Google) to collect much more data than you let on.

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🦃 Kat Callahan

🦃Mar 21, 2025

@rodentapp @switchingsoftware @dzm

But that's not as funny as making a pun!

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rogue Mar 22, 2025

@rodentapp @switchingsoftware @dzm @jezebelkat There's nothing wrong with releasing a freeware app, but Rodent would obtain much more goodwill if its source code were published under a free and open source license. Many Mastodon users are here because this social network is FOSS, and prefer using a Mastodon client that is also FOSS. Also, there are ways to implement app analytics that are much less privacy-intrusive than Google/Firebase Analytics.

#FOSS #freesoftware #opensource #mastodon