Mobile Apps May Still Be Stalking You

By Anthony K

When it comes to mobile privacy, there have been so many leaks and hacks. Nowadays, between 40 to 90 apps are installed on the average user’s smartphone. Most of these applications request information about you and sometimes even the gadget you are using.

They might ask for information such as your name, email address, or physical address. However, given that smartphones are powerful, they may potentially obtain far more information than that, such as your precise location. Some applications may even request the device’s camera and microphone.

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Even though everything is done with the user’s permission, you could be shocked by the amount of access certain apps have to personal information. Did you know that 25% of the top iOS apps and 45% of the top Android apps ask for location tracking?

And 25% and 46% of the top Android and iOS apps ask for access to the camera on your device? Android apps sometimes even request your call history and SMS messages. Why would an app require access to certain information, you may think.

A couple of years ago, a jerk took some private iCloud images of a couple of well-known celebrities and released them online. This caused an online uproar and also caused an exceptionally severe PR issue for Tim Cook, the Apple CEO.

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It is your personal responsibility to ensure that the permissions you give to your app don’t provide access to private personal information. Ensure you read the privacy policy before agreeing to any terms of an app. Most importantly, why have an app that you don’t need?