Photo, location, contact list sharing is not allowed, still 1325 apps stole personal data

Photo, location, contact list sharing is not allowed, still 1325 apps stole personal data

• ICSI uncovered 88,000 applications and explored the methods of data theft
• In Google’s new Android Q, features are being developed that do not cause data to be stolen

Many of the apps you need are stealing data from your smartphone without your permission. Even then, while you have restricted access to data of contacts, photos and locations etc. during the app downloads. The way to steal data is so high that companies like Google are also not able to stop it. A research team from the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) has revealed this. ICSI investigated 88 thousand applications, out of which 1325 applications broke all laws of data privacy.

According to the research, whenever an app is downloaded from smartphones with an Android operating system, permission for access to many types of information, including phone contact, location, media gallery, is sought. This information is locked for the respective app if users are not given permission. But many apps developers also broke it and stole data. They access many information including location of users.

According to researchers, there are some apps that you did not give permission but they steal information from another app. Such apps collect permissions information without using other programs built on software development kit. These apps take information from apps that you have permit access to data. At the same time, some fenced apps are using photo metadata location to track the users. The shutterfly app used in photo editing is doing the same.

By breaking the coding of the GPS user coordinates from your photo, it transmits the data to its servers. However, the company has said that it does not collect any data illegally.

Google will bring Android Q to prevent theft of personal data

After this disclosure, Google is making changes to the new operating system Android Q. He is adding new features in it, in which new methods of theft will be curbed. Android cues are being worked on a number of issues including hiding photo metadata. At the same time, Researchers say they will soon bring more information about these 1325 apps.