{"id":630,"date":"2015-09-29T18:24:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T18:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ftcguardian.com\/articles\/?p=630"},"modified":"2021-06-02T13:05:13","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T13:05:13","slug":"7-worst-apps-for-privacy-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ftcguardian.com\/articles\/7-worst-apps-for-privacy-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Worst Apps for Privacy Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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7 Worst Apps for Privacy Concerns<\/h1>\n
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AT FTC Guardian we focus a lot on Privacy. In fact, our next Member Hangout is going to be all about Privacy Policies – what they are, why you need them, and when\/how to update them. The following article is a real eye opener regarding apps and your privacy. Speaking for myself, I had no idea that my beloved Words With Friends was up to such antics.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re browsing through the millions of apps available from the Apple and Android app stores, you\u2019ll notice that close to 98% of them are free to download. That\u2019s great if you\u2019re looking to fill up your gadget, but many free apps, and some paid ones, do come with a hidden price: your privacy.<\/p>\n

Permissions 101<\/h3>\n

When apps install on your gadget, they request permission to access certain information or phone features. Sometimes they need this information and sometimes it\u2019s not necessary.<\/p>\n

A messaging app, for example, needs permission to access to your contacts and Wi-Fi connection to do its job. However, a Flashlight app doesn\u2019t need to know your location or have full Internet access.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Most people just hit \u201cAccept\u201d and install apps without reading what they do. Want to see something funny? Go to bit.ly\/1Mpwz4O <\/a>and watch people\u2019s reactions when they actually read the permissions they\u2019re approving.<\/p>\n

Of course, that leaves us with the problem of how to tell if an app is on the up-and-up with its permissions. Most don\u2019t tell you what they use the data for, although some will if you contact the developer. Fortunately, you don\u2019t have to dig into every single app.<\/p>\n

PrivacyGrade<\/h3>\n

A few years ago, Carnegie Mellon University set up a site called PrivacyGrade (bit.ly\/1NB9fBk<\/a>) that analyzes popular Android apps to find out what permissions they ask for and how they use the information. Then it gives each one a grade from A to D.<\/p>\n

This scoring system is a little tricky, though. Part of PrivacyGrade\u2019s scoring system is looking at the permissions the app uses and the libraries.<\/p>\n

Libraries are third-party bits of code from other developers that app creators can drop in. Many of the ones you\u2019ll see are from advertising networks, although some are utilities to track how the game is working, or even from Facebook for easier logins to the app.<\/p>\n

An app with a lot of advertising libraries is going to get a worse score than an app just running utility libraries. That\u2019s because an advertiser can track you across any app that includes its library.<\/p>\n

Here are 7 popular apps that PrivacyGrade gives a low score and why you may want to think twice.<\/p>\n

1. Draw Something Free: D<\/p>\n

This popular app lets you play a version of remote Pictionary with friends. It\u2019s fun, but it includes several advertiser libraries and uses the \u201cRead phone status and identity\u201d permission to pass advertisers your phone number, call log, signal information, carrier and more.<\/p>\n

2. Words With Friends: D<\/p>\n

This popular app is like a fast game of Scrabble, and it\u2019s great for brushing up on your vocabulary or being humbled by small children. However, it\u2019s from the same developer as \u201cDraw Something,\u201d so it\u2019s no surprise it has the same privacy worries. However, it goes a step further with the \u201cPrecise location\u201d permission. While it does use your location for the game, it also uses it to show you location-based ads.<\/p>\n

3. GO Locker: D<\/p>\n

This app acts as a screen lock for your phone, and promises to be more secure and smarter than your gadget\u2019s built-in screen lock. Naturally, that means it has to know a lot about your phone and requires just about every permission available, from your location to reading your text messages.<\/p>\n

Oddly, it doesn\u2019t have advertising libraries installed, although it could be sending data to advertisers using its own first-party code. However, it does link up and send your information to app stores besides Google Play. This is potentially dangerous since app stores besides Google often have malicious apps that can steal information from your phone. This could very well be a gateway app for unsecured apps or apps that do seriously hurt your privacy.<\/p>\n

4. GO Weather Forecast & Widgets: D<\/p>\n

From the same company that brought you GO Locker, this app brings you the weather and a forecast. However, like GO Locker, it uses a lot of its permissions to send data to app markets besides Google Play. After doing a little checking, it appears that every GO app, including GO Battery and GO SMS Pro, has this same design. I recommend steering clear of them.<\/p>\n

Go to bit.ly\/1OttgsJ<\/a> for a weather app that won\u2019t spy on you.<\/p>\n

5. Camera360 Ultimate: D<\/p>\n

Android\u2019s default camera app is serviceable, but not fantastic. Camera360 Ultimate promises to add more camera modes, exclusive filters, free cloud storage, facial recognition, real-time \u201ctouch-ups\u201d and more with no ads.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t include any ad targeting libraries, but it does grab a lot of information, and is has the Baidu search engine library built in. Baidu is China\u2019s answer to Google, and there\u2019s no good explanation why a Chinese search engine might need things like the ability to turn your Wi-Fi on and off. In the same vein, the in-app purchases are powered by Alipay, which is a Chinese payment system.<\/p>\n

To really take control of your smartphone\u2019s camera, check out Camera FV-5 (bit.ly\/1OHLZiP<\/a>) for Android or Manual for Apple (bit.ly\/1OjehOt<\/a>).<\/p>\n

6. Angry Birds: C<\/p>\n

The first modern \u201cviral\u201d mobile game with more than 2 billion downloads since 2009, Angry Birds and most of its sequels and spinoffs don\u2019t fare so well with privacy. Most include several targeted ad libraries that grab your phone identity information, which includes phone call logs, your signal, carrier, device ID and number.<\/p>\n

Outside of PrivacyGrade\u2019s score, \u201cAngry Birds\u201d also has the distinction of being one of the apps the NSA and British GCHQ targeted to snag user information from smartphones thanks to poor security. The newer versions of Angry Birds (bit.ly\/1ieoYZv<\/a>) aren\u2019t as vulnerable, so they get a slightly higher \u201cB.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. My Talking Tom: D<\/p>\n

If you have kids around, \u201cMy Talking Tom\u201d is an app you might get asked to download. It\u2019s basically a cute little game where you adopt and take care of a kitten. However, its privacy settings aren\u2019t so adorable.<\/p>\n

It includes a whopping eight targeted ad libraries and, in addition to your phone\u2019s identifying information, it sends the advertisers audio from the microphone as well. For a kids\u2019 game, that\u2019s creepy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

via 7 worst apps for privacy concerns<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s How To Make Sure You,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?<\/span><\/p>\n

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of <\/span>FTC Guardian<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC compliant and fully protected. And right now, we are offering a free training to give you the knowledge, information, and guidance that you need to stay out of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The training is titled: 3 Tragic (Legal) Privacy Policy List Building Mistakes That Can Get You In Hot Water With The FTC Today – Resulting In Your Business Being Shut Down… And How To Solve It!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Here are some of the things you\u2019ll discover on the training:<\/span><\/p>\n