Saturday, April 9, 2011

Smartphone Apps May Be Violoating Your Privacy

 Alright, lets face it. How many smartphone users actually read the user agreement when downloading a new app to their phone? I know I don't and Android usually spells it out for me in black and white right before I hit "allow".

As I said before, when using an Android device to download new apps, the phone alerts you of permissions that you are granting the app to have.(I'm not sure how the iPhone or other devices go about telling you this information, but I'm sure they do.) Many times these permissions include access to GPS, phone records, contacts list, etc. But why does an app need to access all of that? According to the app, it's essential to the performance of the application. However, most of the time it's not.

In the last couple of months, many apps have been undergoing investigations to clarify what their true intentions are.

So far, one major app has been thrown into the spotlight. That app is the ever so popular music streaming app, Pandora. Many of us have probably used Pandora online and were excited when it was turned into a smartphone app. I sure was, and I used it everyday.

What exactly is this app, and possibly many others, being charged with? Well if you guessed they may be selling your information to advertising companies, then you're right.

Pandora, and probably a ton of other apps, provide these agencies with your name, birthday, gender, IP address, GPS information, and postal code. This pretty much means that they can trace where you go, where you live, who you visit, what stores you like, where you work, etc. Which is pretty powerful information to advertisers.

Creeps.

Man, I was really into Pandora too. Looks like that apps getting deleted now.

Followers:
1. Do you ever read app user agreements?
2. Does this surprise you?
3. Do you even care?
4. Nutella and toast?

29 comments:

pezasied said...

1. Never
2. Not really, it's kinda expected
3. Yea, its messed up, but I still love Pandora
4. Nutella? Ewww

Anonymous said...

1. Usually not.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. Nutella and bread.
Screw toast.

Also, <3

Endless said...

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. Yes

Leestander said...

Ofc, Apple just want to take your life in their hand with they lockt systems.. :/ go for Android!

1. yeah!

2. most of the times like Winamp who wants to read my gps location o.O

3. some times i do like .2

4 totaly toast

psyke said...

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. Just had some.

Sam said...

Same thing goes for Facebook app's obviously, some don't care to read what the app is allowed to do, or they do.. but don't realise what it can do with the information when it's passed on..
Thanks for the post :)

DVNO said...

nonono of course!

Kanika said...

No
No
No
Nutella

Unknown said...

1. yes
2. no
3. yes
4. yes

duffboi said...

1. sometimes i skim them
2. nope
3. yep
4. never tried it

BTN Hip Hop said...

1. Nope
2. never
3. sometimes
4. usually

Anonymous said...

The same reason i dont have any apps in social networks.

King Elysium said...

1. I dont have any apps, all the apps available for blackberry suck
2. not at all
3. na
4. never had it :O

Fred Junxs said...

1. I never have.
2. No.
3. Well, not really.
4. Nutella.

Fix PC Games Admin said...

1.scroll it down
2.not very much
3.my care cup is empty
4.nutella <3 :3

+followed I love surveys

noone said...

1 2 3 - No.

4 - nutella goes with toast? hmm.

Nina said...

123 no.

4 wtf is nutella.

Trelin said...

No
No
Yes
Tasty

Anonymous said...

1. I never read agreements lol
2. No
3. Sometimes
4. Nutella is the !@#$ :D

gman said...

1.No
2.No
3.No, I don't have a smartphone so I am completely safe :)
4. Yes please

FOLLOWPIX said...

no
no
no
no ( prefer ham toast :-) )

thanks for your comment!
Anna

Eric P said...

I never read them.
I'm not surprised.
I do care.
I love nutella on toast.

Grafted said...

1-2 No
3-4 Yes

ed said...

no no no and YES

Admin said...

1. Do you ever read app user agreements? Nope
2. Does this surprise you? Nope
3. Do you even care? Don't have a smartphone, so not really.
4. Nutella and toast? Nutella in hot milk. Makes the best hot chocolate in the world.

Blog Hunt said...

1-2 No
3-4 Yes

Moobeat said...

not suprised by this.

Unknown said...

1. Sometimes
2. No, I'm sure that a lot of companies actually do.
3. A bit.
4. Hell yes.

Matthew C said...

1. Always
2. A bit. It figures, though.
3. Yes. My privacy is important to me.
4. Deliciously yes.

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