As per research of Symantec, Apple App Store for iOS and Google Play Store for Android have numerous applications that render users to confidentiality threats. There are specific applications for iOS and Android users that ask for too many consents to access the personal data of a user. In the survey, Symantec clarified how private data is collected and how suspicious applications on Google Play Store are crammed with excessive ads, putting the privacy of a user at risk.
Symantec, as the research’s part, downloaded top hundred free applications from the Apple App Store & Google Play Store and scrutinized what private data was being collected by the applications, besides the features being accessed. A majority of the confidential data collected by the applications related to email addresses of the users.
Symantec elucidated as many as 44% of Android and 48% of iOS applications in question were looking for access to data of users comprising email addresses. Apart from email addresses, the 2nd most ordinary data gathered by the applications is the surname. Further, the report enlightened that 33% of fake iOS applications and 30% of analyzed Android applications were asking for surnames access.
In terms of information relating to phone numbers, they were being distributed with 9% of Android and 12% of iOS applications. Last but not least, the address details of the users were being distributed with 5% of Android and 4% of iOS applications.
In another report by Associated Press, Google has elucidated to users that it still monitors their location even if they switch off location history. The recent investigation of AP into Google services on iPhones and Android devices that store data relating to the location of a user even if he/she has disables it once again raised security & privacy issues and put the firm in a tough spot.
