The fact is, free applications are doing the very same thing that the makers of the phones and operating systems are doing … collecting data. Read what phone functions many of these free apps use, you’ll be surprised at how much info is being tossed around. The most popular bar code scanner for Android states:
This application (QR Droid) has access to the following:
* Hardware controls
take pictures and videos
Allows application to take pictures and videos with the camera. This allows the application at any time to collect images the camera is seeing.
* Network communication
full Internet access
Allows an application to create network sockets.
* Your personal information
read contact data
Allows an application to read all of the contact (address) data stored on your device. Malicious applications can use this to send your data to other people.
read Browser’s history and bookmarks
Allows the application to read all the URLs that the Browser has visited, and all of the Browser’s bookmarks.
* Storage
modify/delete USB storage contents modify/delete SD card contents
Allows an application to write to the USB storage. Allows an application to write to the SD card.
* Hardware controls
control flashlight
Allows the application to control the flashlight.
* Network communication
view network state
Allows an application to view the state of all networks.
That list is truly scary!
The other thing they don’t talk about in the article, is that the phone carriers (mine is Verizon) charges an extra $30 per month to sue the web, so as far as I am concerned, that usage should be commercial-free. Or, include commercials and let me use the internet for free.
The fact is, free applications are doing the very same thing that the makers of the phones and operating systems are doing … collecting data. Read what phone functions many of these free apps use, you’ll be surprised at how much info is being tossed around. The most popular bar code scanner for Android states:
This application (QR Droid) has access to the following:
* Hardware controls
take pictures and videos
Allows application to take pictures and videos with the camera. This allows the application at any time to collect images the camera is seeing.
* Network communication
full Internet access
Allows an application to create network sockets.
* Your personal information
read contact data
Allows an application to read all of the contact (address) data stored on your device. Malicious applications can use this to send your data to other people.
read Browser’s history and bookmarks
Allows the application to read all the URLs that the Browser has visited, and all of the Browser’s bookmarks.
* Storage
modify/delete USB storage contents modify/delete SD card contents
Allows an application to write to the USB storage. Allows an application to write to the SD card.
* Hardware controls
control flashlight
Allows the application to control the flashlight.
* Network communication
view network state
Allows an application to view the state of all networks.
That list is truly scary!
The other thing they don’t talk about in the article, is that the phone carriers (mine is Verizon) charges an extra $30 per month to sue the web, so as far as I am concerned, that usage should be commercial-free. Or, include commercials and let me use the internet for free.