How to find out that a smartphone is following you

Almost all applications installed on our gadgets collect and process user data. Usually it is simply necessary for the service to work - sometimes the developers themselves try to use the collected information to improve the program. But not always this process occurs in good faith.

As you know, there are always applications whose creators resell user data to third parties. Often this happens even without the consent of the person.

On this occasion, Kaspersky Lab experts talked about services with which the user can check how applications on his devices handle personal data.

Firstly, it is worth paying attention to the AppCensus service, which calculates where a particular application sends data. AppCensus uses a dynamic analysis method - after installation, having received the necessary permissions, the program begins to monitor to whom, where and in what form user information is sent.

Also, Kaspersky advised Exodus Privacy, which studies the application itself and the permissions it requests, rather than activity. In addition, the service can find hidden trackers that collect data about human actions in the application. Developers can add hidden trackers from ad networks to set up personalized ads. Exodus marks software that potentially threatens the security of user data.

For example, in Kaspersky downloaded a selfie camera from Google Play with 5 million installations. Exodus showed that it uses four advertising trackers and requires access not only to the camera, but also to geolocation, information about the phone and calls. And this is not absolutely necessary for a conventional camera.

The AppCensus, in turn, showed that the application sends the received information along with the IMEI of the smartphone, MAC address and Android ID (unique identification numbers) to the IP address in China. In addition, the data is unencrypted and anyone could access it.

Therefore, you should be more careful when choosing applications in stores and carefully monitoring the permissions that programs receive - many of them simply do not need them.

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