The number of downloadable mobile applications has increased almost two times during the past few years . In addition, the apps can do pretty much everything they want. As a result, users are faced with a threat that may largely affect their privacy.
A recent study examined more than 1.7 million Google play mobile apps between the period March 2011 – September 2012. It discovered that many of the applications could reveal personal information or even to manipulate the device.
Today, apps and smart devices have become an integral part of our lives. We use them to connect with friends, in our work and even as a digital wallet. Analysts expect that app downloads will increase two times, reaching 45 billion by the end of 2012.
However, there is something disturbing about mobile applications. Through them ad networks and app developers can gain data from people who use them. This is even more concerning, because most users are not aware that apps can share their private information. Also, they don’t know which mobile applications are potentially dangerous.
Apps start to collect data when the user gives them access permission. Such a permission is required by most apps upon their installation. Some of them can even share information when the device is not on. Also, a number of the dangerous apps can use the Internet to send private data to third parties.
According to the study, the apps that threat people’s privacy the most are those which are free. Researchers found that some could access the address and contacts lists stored on the device or even trace the phone’s location.
Until recently, it was believed that such apps send user information to advertising networks. However, the study discovered that only 24.14% of them do that. It is not known to where the rest send the collected data.
In addition, some apps can access the main functions and services of the devices like calls, SMS message and camera. That means that they can listen to phone calls, make pictures, record videos and send text messages from a phone without the knowledge of its owner.
The leaders of the research hope that their conclusions and discoveries will inform people about how dangerous mobile apps can be to their privacy and personal information. In addition, they also suggest a few things that should change in the application industry. Among them are access to information that corresponds to the app’s functions, clearer differentiation between permissions, information about free apps’ additional access abilities and additional information for every app.
