Smartphones with Smarter AppsLocation Tracking & Privacy Policies

Photo Source: Flickr, “Secure Cloud Computing” by FutUndBeidl

In America, half of the population already owns a smartphone…[7]

Photo Source: jeshoots.com, “Detail of Smartphone” by Jan Vašek

...Where time spent on the internet just passed access via desktop[7]

Photo Source: Flickr, “New Desktop Setup” by Andrew

But do we realize how much of our personal data is being accessed while we use our smartphones?

Photo Source: playbuzz.com, “What is your status on this Valentine?” by Janice Kristianti

Through their vague and often misleading privacy policies, smartphone applications are permitted to collect what they refer to as

Non-Personally Identifiable Information

Photo Source: samw

atsonwrites.com

, by Sam W

atson

[5]

This kind of information includes things like your birthday, gender, and ZIP code...

...which is unique for about 87% of U.S. residents[5]

Photo Source: Hotspot Shield Blog, “How to protect your personal information online” by Peter Nguyen

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University concluded that many popular Android apps collected device location - GPS coordinates accurate within 50 metres - an average 6,200 times, or roughly every three minutes [3]

Photo Source: NBC Bay Area, “Google Maps Returns to iPhone” by Lisa Fernandez

“Does Groupon really need to know where you are every 20 minutes?”

- Norman M. Sadah, Carnegie Mellon professor

[3]

Photo Source: Sara Dow

Personal data and location data is often also used to direct more

relevant ads to consumersPhoto Source: Wikimedia, “Daveness 98 - Billboard Study” by David Evers

When an app requests location, 73% of the time it shares the information with an advertising network

- Research findings of Norman B. Sadeh, professor at Carnegie Mellon

[3]

Photo Source: Wikimedia, “Puzzly Sharing” by Wikimedia Foundation

More than half [of smartphone users] have uninstalled an app or declined to

download one because of worries about sharing personal information

- According to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project

[6]

Photo Source: Sara Dow

According to a study made in June of 2012 only a 48% of all free apps and a 32% of paid apps across App Stores (Apple, Android, Kindle) offered in-app access to a privacy policy.

[9]

Photo Source: Flickr, “System Lock” by Yuri Samoilov

Another concern among smartphone users is the security of their personal information in some of

Apple’s new health apps

Photo Source: Flickr, “Runkeeper and health on iPhone” by Jason Howie

[2]

Many of the roughly 40,000 health apps and wearable devices on the market today make money by selling user data to marketers and other companiesPhoto Source: Wikimedia, “Personal Health Apps for Smartphones” by Intel Free Press

Even apps like the Flashlight app are designed to do location tracking, read your calendars, use your camera, gain access to

unique numbers that identify your phone, and then share data with a number of ad networks

[8]

Photo Source: imgarcade.com “Iphone Flashlight Case”

Facebook collects a shocking amount of data from its users, and continues to release new features and updated privacy policies

Photo Source: Pixabay, “Facebook, social networking”

In 2014, Facebook launched a new feature called “Nearby Friends”..

..That would allow users to see which of their friends were in close proximity[4]

Photo Source: dimage.es “Consejos para ganar más seguidores en Facebook” by Fecha

“When Location History is on, Facebook builds a history of your precise location, even when you’re not using the app.” - Description of the feature in the Location History setting

Photo Source: Valleywag “Sorry to Disrupt”

[1]

“Newsflash, social media gurus: Unless we’re actively checking in on Foursquare, we don’t want all our Facebook friends to know where we are at all times.” - Lark Turner, of Bustle.com

Photo Source: Wikim

edia, “Not Facebook N

ot Like Thumbs D

own” by Enoc vt

[10]

Online applications and websites collect an overwhelming amount of personal data every

day, and users need to be far more aware of the dangers this may pose to them.

Photo Source: Flickr, “Caution Tape” by Eugene Zemlyanskiy

Works Cited[1] Constine, Josh. "Facebook 'Nearby Friends' Will Track Your Location History To Target You With Ads." TechCrunch (2014). Web. 3 June 2015.

[2] Dwoskin, Elizabeth, and Melinda Beck. "As Apple Moves into Health Apps, What Happens to Privacy?" The Wall Street Journal (2014). Web. 11 June 2015.

[3] Dwoskin, Elizabeth. "Where Were You 3 Minutes Ago? Your Apps Know." The Wall Street Journal (2015). Web. 5 June 2015.

[4] "Facebook Launches 'Nearby Friends' Location-sharing." CBC News (2014). Web. 5 June 2015. .

[5] Golbeck, Jennifer. "Track Star: This App Follows You While You Shop—and It Needs a Clearer Privacy Policy." Slate. Web. 8 June 2015.

[6] Kopytoff, Verne. "Why Mobile Apps’ Privacy Policies Are So Important." Bloomberg Business (2013). Web. 10 June 2015.[7] Madden, Sean. "Tech That Tracks Your Every Move Can Be Convenient, Not Creepy." WIRED (2014). Web. 2 June 2015.

[8] McMillan, Robert Joseph. "The Hidden Privacy Threat of … Flashlight Apps?" WIRED (2014). Web. 10 June 2015.

Works Cited - cont.[9] "The Need for Privacy Policies in Mobile Apps – an Overview." Iubenda. Web. 10 June 2015. .

[10] Turner, Lark. "Facebook's Creepy New 'Nearby Friends' Feature Is Exactly What It Sounds Like." Bustle (2014). Web. 10 June 2015. .