More Than 25% of Android Apps Know Too Much About You

[wraggster]

A pair of reports by Juniper and Bit9 confirm the suspicion that many apps are spying on users (http://www.darkreading.com/mobile-security/167901113/security/privacy/240012705/more-than-25-of-android-apps-know-too-much-about-you.html). '26 percent of Android apps in Google Play can access personal data, such as contacts and email, and 42 percent, GPS location data... 31 percent of the apps access phone calls or phone numbers, and 9 percent employ permissions that could cost the user money, such as incurring premium SMS text message charges... nearly 7 percent of free apps can access address books, 2.6 percent, can send text messages without the user knowing, 6.4 percent can make calls, and 5.5 percent have access to the device's camera.' The main issue seems to be with poor development practices. Only in a minority of cases is there malicious intent. The Juniper report (http://forums.juniper.net/t5/Security-Mobility-Now/Exposing-Your-Personal-Information-There-s-An-App-for-That/ba-p/166058) and the Bit9 report (https://www.bit9.com/pausing-google-play/index.php) are both available online.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/11/02/1316238/more-than-25-of-android-apps-know-too-much-about-you