Millions of consumers are unwittingly handing over confidential information – including location and address book data – by signing up for free smartphone apps, which a new study claims plunder these details as a matter of course.
Security firm Juniper Networks analysed 1.7 million applications on the Android market over an 18-month period from March 2011 to September 2012. The research suggests free applications are 401% more likely to track user location and 314% more likely to access user address books than paid-for apps.
And with an estimated 21 billion apps being downloaded from the Google Play store this year, the extent of the potential problem becomes clearer. It also comes as the latest figures show that the Android operating system has achieved a 75% share of the smartphone market.
Juniper suggests users are not aware of how apps collect data. The report states:
“Even though a list of permissions is presented when installing an app, most people don’t understand what they are agreeing to or have the proper information needed to make educated decisions about which apps to trust.”
A disturbingly high number of applications collect information that is not needed for functionality, with almost a quarter of free apps having permission to track the user’s location, compared to 6% for paid-for apps.
Meanwhile, 7% of free apps have permission to access users’ address books, 6% have permission to secretly initiate calls in the background, 5% have access to the device camera and 3% can silently send text messages. Only 2% of paid-for apps have access to these features.
“Possibly more concerning are the other permissions being requested from applications like the ability to clandestinely initiate outgoing calls, send SMS messages and use a device camera,” says Juniper. “An application that can clandestinely initiate a phone call could be used to silently listen to ambient conversations within hearing distance of a mobile device.”
And even Apple users are not immune, Juniper claims, although it was not permitted to test iOS apps. “Apple does not disclose related information about its apps, and questions regarding the Apple App Store and related privacy statistics should be directed towards Apple,” the report said. Apple has previously come under fire for approving scammer apps for the iTunes store.
Related stories
75% of smartphones run Android
