Among the abundance of 55 million available mobile apps, it’s nearly impossible to create general awareness for which are anonymously collecting your data. It’s unfortunate that even disabling an app permissions in your phone’s stock settings doesn’t always do the trick. So what’s the motive? Money, of course. App developers thrive on the gig economy, so the motive is to use your data to generate more ad revenue from their apps. By using your personal data and tracking your app usage pattersons, developers can personalize your app to show you clickable advertisements with a higher chance of attracting your attention.
Of course, these ads are clickable. Think about a time you’ve played a game and it’s paused gameplay to show you an ad. Clicking anything other than the “X” to return to gameplay will direct you to that application’s download page in the app store. Other times, ads will contain phishing links rather than app store links, taking you to Internet pages in attempts to steal your data.
For example: in 2013, the developers of “Brightest Flashlight Free” settled with the FTC after allegations that the app failed to inform users it shared location data and identifiers. Facebook has also admitted to accidentally leaking the phone numbers and email addresses (users hadn’t shared in the first place) to the public. Even further along these lines, Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) threatened to remove Uber from the App Store after learning Uber was collecting hardware identifiers from iOS users in 2015.
Instances such as the aforementioned are endless - from gaming and social media to utility apps. Each Google user’s data is worth around $182, and each Facebook user’s data is worth $159 - both have histories of compromising, revealing, or selling collected data. Keep reading for a breakdown on apps exposed for stealing user data, and how to protect yourself.
Infographic Source: https://www.securitydegreehub.com/apps-privacy/
