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

ICSI researches 88 thousand apps and reveals methods of data theft
Google's new Android Q features are being developed that do not steal data

Many apps that have become your 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 tech that even companies like Google are 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 do not allow it. But many app developers broke it and stole data. They access many information including the location of users.

According to the researchers, there are some apps that you did not give permission, but it stole information from other apps. Such apps collect information without permission using other programs built on the software development kit. These apps take information from the apps that you have given permission for data access. At the same time, some flagged apps are using photo metadata location to track 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 stop theft of personal data

Following this disclosure, Google is making changes to the new operating system Android Q. He is adding new features to it, which will curb new methods of theft. Several cases are being worked out, including hiding photo metadata in Android Q. At the same time, researchers say that they will soon reveal more information about these 1325 apps.