Popular Android apps sending user data to Facebook without user consent, likely illegally

-

A study of 34 of the most popular Android apps found that at least 20 of them are sending user data to Facebook without user consent.

The data transmitted ranges from the innocuous to the sensitive – such as whether the user has children – and is likely to be illegal in the case of European citizens …

NordVPN

Apps found to be doing this include Kayak, MyFitnessPal, Skyscanner and TripAdvisor.

The Financial Times reports that the data is transmitted as soon as the app is opened.

The Privacy International campaign group found that at least 20 [apps] send certain data to Facebook in the second that they open in a phone, before [users] can be asked for permission.

The information sent instantly included the name of the application, the unique identification of the user with Google and the number of times the application was opened and closed since it was downloaded. Some, such as Kayak, the travel site, then sent detailed information about people's flight searches to Facebook, including travel dates, if the user had children and what flights and destinations they had searched for.

This is almost certainly in breach of Europe's privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This requires that users be asked for their consent before any personal data is collected.

It's not just users affected by the problem: application developers are potentially left liable to a maximum fine of 4% of their annual turnover by a Facebook SDK.

Frederike Kaltheuner, who conducted the research, added that while Facebook assigns responsibility for complying with regulations to application developers, the developer kit of the US company did not give the option of waiting for permission from a developer. user before transmitting some types of data.

"At least four weeks after GDPR, it was not even possible to ask for consent, due to the default configuration of the Facebook SDK [software development kit] which means that the data is automatically shared at the moment the application is opened" , He said.

Several application developers have complained about the problem to Facebook since May, reporting bug reports on Facebook's developer platform that they said they could not comply with the law.

Although Facebook subsequently claimed an SDK update would solve the problem, many popular apps are still not using it, and some developers are complaining that it continues to happen even when using the new SDK.

There is a particular risk to privacy when data is gathered from multiple apps, says the report.

For example, a person who has installed the following applications that we have tried, Qibla Connect (a Muslim prayer application), Period Tracker Clue (a period tracker), Indeed (a job search application), My Talking Tom (an application for children), could be outlined as probable woman, probably Muslim, probable job applicant, probable mother.

In addition to the data being available to Facebook, any data collection runs the risk that it could be vulnerable to hackers. Facebook admitted back in October that hackers had been able to access data from 30 million users of the social network.

The issue does not appear to arise with the iOS versions of the apps.

Photo: Shutterstock

Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

VIDEO


#Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

Popular Posts:

Do more from your inbox with Gmail Add-ons

-
Image
For many of us, email is mission control—the prompt to generate an invoice, prepare a presentation or follow up on a sales opportunity. With so many to-dos, imagine if you could complete these tasks directly from your inbox without interrupting your workflow. We believe email can do more, which is why we're launching Gmail Add-ons, a new way to work with your favorite business apps directly in Gmail. Gmail Add-ons, built for your workflows Rather than toggling between your inbox and other apps, use add-ons to complete actions right from Gmail. With Gmail Add-ons, your inbox can contextually surface your go-to app based on messages you receive to help you get things done faster. And because add-ons work the same across web and Android, you only need to install them once to access them on all of your devices. Click the settings wheel on the top right of your inbox and then "Get add-ons" to get started. We made Gmail Add-ons available in developer p
Continue Reading....

Apple is postponing new iOS features in favor of reliability and performance

-
Image
Apple has decided to postpone new features in iOS in favor of improving the reliability and performance of the operating system, as according to a report by Axios. According to the report, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President, Software Engineering, announced the revised plan to employees at a meeting earlier this month. This pushes features like refresh of the homescreen and in-car user interface, improvements to core apps like Mail and camera experience to 2019. What we will get this year is improvements to AR, digital health and parental controls. Apart from that, the OS will largely feature improvements to performance and user experience. We have seen Apple do this with macOS in the past, where they dedicate one entire update cycle to just refining the OS and make existing features work better. However, we have never quite seen Apple do that on iOS. This is largely due to the hyper competitive nature of the mobile market where competition and customer demands push companies t
Continue Reading....

This is Samsung’s official spec sheet for the Galaxy S8 and S8+

-
Image
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have finally been unveiled, and our hands-on experience with the devices is available for everyone to see. Everyone has a pretty good idea about the devices’ specifications at this point, but for those wanting to see it, we have added the official spec sheet offered by Samsung below. Remember, detailed specs are also available from our devices page . Oh, and don’t remember to take a look at what we think about Samsung’s new flagships .
Continue Reading....

DJI Mavic Air: could this be the definitive drone?

-
Image
DJI showcased its new Mavic Air drone in New York. The third quadcopter in this series is of similar quality to its predecessors and can also fold its arms for better portability. For its size, no competitor offers so much in terms of photo quality. Release date and price The DJI Mavic Air can be ordered through the official DJI website  and is also available from other retailers. The drone is available in three colors: marengo grey, white and red. We can buy the Mavic Air in a basic pack with remote control, protections, charger, cover, propeller replacement and a battery from US$799 (£769 in the UK). Often, one battery is not enough so there is a more complete pack available with three batteries, charger for four batteries and two propeller replacements from $999 (£949 in the UK). The red model reminds me of a Porsche. / © AndroidPIT Design and build quality In essence, it is th
Continue Reading....

Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard

-
Image
Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Rabbit Mountain Adventure VERSION/BUILD: 1.6.4 UPDATED: 28 January 2018 REQUIRES ANDROID: 4.4 and up FILE SIZE: 66.4 M Walking with the dinosaurs! Roam the earth and experience prehistoric times in Virtual Reality. Celebrating 4+ million downloads! Have you ever wanted to meet Dinosaurs in real life? Experience the ultimate dino ride with Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Freely roam the open environment en poke round the beautiful cedar evergreen trees to see huge dinos come to life. You can go to any point and see the sites and dinos in VR. Players get to experience the site at their own pace and the mission is simple; enjoy and discover the world of prehistoric dinosaurs before the modern world cities were built. It's like a virtual reality attraction traveling you back to prehistoric times! The ultimate experience There is no need anymore to become an archaeologist and dig the earth
Continue Reading....