Smartphone Apps Spying

Companies like Facebook and Yahoo! are using free smartphone apps to track and spy on their users’ text messages, intercept calls, and it even track locations according to an article published in the daily mail.

Many people may feel this violates their privacy; however, app companies defend their right to engage in such activity because their actions are written in the terms and conditions tied to the app, when the app is downloaded.

Facebook says even though their users have agreed to let the company read users’ text messages on Android smartphones, the company states they have yet to take advantage of this right.

Other social media sides like Flickr and Yahoo! are also engaging in this practice. They can read text messages, remotely take images from users’ handset cameras, and even dial and intercept calls without the user knowing.

Companies Using Phone Apps to spy

This invasion of privacy has angered many privacy campaigners. Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch described the practice as an “unregulated Wild West”. Emma Draper, of Privacy International, said, “Your personal information is a precious commodity, and companies will go to great lengths to get their hands on as much of it as possible.”

With downloads reaching 100 million on Google’s Android smartphones, the Facebook app has the ability to read SMS messages stored on the device or SIM card, to identify the location of the user through GPS software, and to access phone numbers and email addresses of their contacts.

Many of these free apps are used to gain web browsing history of the user. The app company then sells the browsing history to advertisers and market research companies, thus exposing users to unwanted advertising and spam.

Daniel Rosenfield, director of the app company Sun Products, stated, “The revenue you get from selling your apps doesn’t touch the revenue you get from giving your apps away for free and just loading them with advertisements.”

Facebook defended its right to access text messages saying that the practice was designed to read and write data between itself and the phone’s SMS feature, rather than rummage through and individuals text messages.

The company spokesman stated, “If Facebook ultimately launches any feature that makes use of these permissions, we will ensure that this is accompanied by appropriate guidance.”

Google issued a statement saying, “From the beginning, Android has had an industry-leading permissions
system which informs consumers what data an app can access and requires users’ approval before installation.”

Other companies have yet to issue a statement.