Android Apps Caught Sending GPS Info to Advertisers

[brochaos]

when you first setup the phone, one of those first screens makes a comment about sending gps information etc. in fact, google maps uses our gps info to generate the traffic layer. so even if these 3rd parties aren't allowed to, google still can.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Bro, Google maps uses your GPS all the time, has nothing to do with any layer.

As for open source making thing secure, no. Look at apple, they screen each and every app for approval where as Google says "let-er rip!" and waits for people to complain before removing apps, no preventative investigation. So going the open source way with Android and the Android market means that we are far far more prone to this kind of malicious potential than a locked down system. It's something we just have to deal with to get the kind of freedom we have. Frankly I don't mind at all...

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

So ya'll are saying that people, other than my family, knows I spend all day sitting in my recliner!!!??? :icon_ banana:

 

[cereal killer]

So ya'll are saying that people, other than my family, knows I spend all day sitting in my recliner!!!??? :icon_ banana:

Ohhhhhhhhh.......no wonder. We were having a discussion in the mod forum wondering if you were alive since you haven't moved in hours.

Oh wait....

Seriously!!. Dude come on I was joking!!!!!

There's no need to move out of your chair and go to the kitchen. Seriously man we can't see anything!!!....

Sent from my Droid

 

[pandroid]

people are throwing the word "open source" around the wrong way.

open source means that the 'source' code of the software is freely available. that means anyone can gander at the underlying code of a program and see exactly what its doing. is it calling home with private info or is it doing exactly what it advertises. not only that, but anyone can take that code, change it and develop the application further resulting in a massive increase in innovation and advancement and a massive decrease in malevolence. look at how many virii linux has vs windows/mac. yes mac has virii. open source also makes knowledge free. which im a big believer in

ANDROID is open source. thats why we are graced with so many source built roms that outshine stock android..

apple has a strict approval process but i still see articles online every once in a while about some malicious iP** app that fell through. not only do bad apps still fall through, this gives apple the right to disallow anything they want. this power, they are KNOWN for using. its like your government telling you which sites you can and cant visit or which books you can and cant read

anyways. i just want people to understand opensource. because in my point of view, its much more than that. its a philosophy, it promotes growth, innovation, variety and can even bring forth a revolution

 

[Fault]

God I hate when people do $#!+ like this. That's why I totally justify using adblocking programs. If it wasn't for that, I might not mind, but I can't stand it

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

So ya'll are saying that people, other than my family, knows I spend all day sitting in my recliner!!!??? :icon_ banana:

Ohhhhhhhhh.......no wonder. We were having a discussion in the mod forum wondering if you were alive since you haven't moved in hours.

Oh wait....

Seriously!!. Dude come on I was joking!!!!!

There's no need to move out of your chair and go to the kitchen. Seriously man we can't see anything!!!....

Sent from my Droid

Damn we're funny!!!

 

[techguru]

When you install an app from the market, it explicitly tells you what permissions you are granting to the app. If you don't want to share your location data, don't download the app.

The advertisers are using it to send you targeted ads relevant to your location. Personally, I prefer seeing ads from local businesses than ads for things that I will never need from a place I will never go.

Alan

 

[pandroid]

here are the 30 apps that were tested. i bet i can guess at least 10 of them that share your personal info. its not just GPS data, but IMEI, phone number and SIM numbers

The Weather Channel, Cestos, Solitaire, Movies, Babble, Manga Browser, Bump, Wertago, Antivirus, ABC - Animals, Traffic Jam, Hearts, Blackjack, Horoscope, 3001 Wisdom Quotes Lite, Yellow Pages, Dastelefonbuch, Astrid, BBC News Live Stream, Ringtones, Layer, Knocking, Barcode Scanner, Coupons, Trapster, Spongebob Slide, ProBasketBall, MySpace, ixMAT, and Evernote.

here is a .pdf of the analysis

 

[Cunha]

I don't want applications wasting my juice sending out information I don't want sent out.

So, where is the app for blocking apps from sending data? For example, a free game I downloaded that also decides that it wants to take some info from my phone.

Seems simple enough.

 

[Vikam]

What does it matter, no matter how hard you try...with apps or without apps someone would still be able to track you...it being government, provider or others.....the only way to prevent being tracked is not having any cell phones, credit cards......but shhhhh, dont tell the government because next they might install tracking card into people.....common people, there is really no way of not being tracked.:icon_eek:

 

[Cunha]

I assume the government can track me with a cell phone, or Verizon wireless. What I want to do is reduce the number of people tracking me and reduce the number of people that have access to information on my cell phone needlessly. Joe Shmo who happens to be a decent programmer..whatever.

There IS a way to not be tracked by people that have no business seeing what you are up to.

Honestly, why does the point keep coming up? There is no reason not to protect yourself as much as possible. Do you want all of your friends phone numbers and names given to whoever the hell wrote that crappy app you had installed for 20 minutes? There is no reason for that to happen. Take care of your information as it has value to some people and you are giving it away for free by being careless about it.

 

[Vikam]

I assume the government can track me with a cell phone, or Verizon wireless. What I want to do is reduce the number of people tracking me and reduce the number of people that have access to information on my cell phone needlessly. Joe Shmo who happens to be a decent programmer..whatever.

There IS a way to not be tracked by people that have no business seeing what you are up to.

Honestly, why does the point keep coming up? There is no reason not to protect yourself as much as possible. Do you want all of your friends phone numbers and names given to whoever the hell wrote that crappy app you had installed for 20 minutes? There is no reason for that to happen. Take care of your information as it has value to some people and you are giving it away for free by being careless about it.

Of course there is no reason not to try and protect yourself as much as possible, and if you know what apps that will do this to you, then dont install them, my main point is that no matter how hard to try and do that and no matter how much protection you have for it, someone will allways find a way in if they really want or need to.

 

[Cunha]

Point taken. Now, we agreethat if the Gov't wanted to find us, or verizon had some reason to see what we were up to, they could. We can now move on and discuss how we can keep lesser entities from having access to our information when we don't want them to. y.

 

[jcorvan]

I do not like the idea of my location and private information sent to advertisers.
Everywhere we look some corporation is pushing an ad or some propaganda about themselves into our face.

I would like to limit the amount of control and manipulation that corporations have over me. If they want to collect this private info, then we should be able to monitor their private information. This fact gathering puts the population in a weak position. In a way it is like brain washing, mind control.

I feel they are taking my information to try to manipulate my life. I can resist this, but that is not the point. The point is they should not be allowed access to this information.