App Permission and Privacy
App permission and privacy intro:
App permissions are a very important topic for the younger generation. As our society progresses to using applications for many aspects of daily life, this issue will only continue to become more important. This page will inform its reader about the various aspects that they need to know in order to protect their information from applications. In addition to this, the page will provide information about specific privacy issues that are hurting consumers and what the companies that collect this information are doing with the data. In addition to this will will give consumers some advice on how to protect themselves and focus specifically on this topics impact to the younger generations.
What companies are doing with collected app data:
When someone accepts the permissions of an app or accepts a terms of service agreement it is generally skipped over with little thought because they are unaware about the full scope of what the app will be doing with the information. Users may accept an application to utilize their location, but what they do not realize is that those applications also have clauses that allow them to sell this information to companies. This seems like a poor decision for users to make because of the massive amount of profit that these companies make from selling this very personal info. All users get in return is continued use of the various application when they really should at least be getting financially compensated. Location is a very personal thing for a company to have access to because it gives them an exact idea of what you do daily and what you are interested in. It can also reveal information that people do not necessarily feel comfortable sharing with other people, like if they have been to rehab center or a psychiatrist. While this is not the only instance of what companies are doing with consumers collected app data, this was one of the most shocking examples that made me very interested in knowing more about what these companies are doing behind the veil of their privacy policy.
The next example of what companies are doing with app data deals with apps utilizing the camera. When users accept an app to be able to use the camera, they do so with an expectation that the camera will only be used when they are taking a picture. It has been found that applications would be able to take pictures on a device without the user opening the camera function on the device. This is startling because users would not have the expectation that the app was taking pictures of them when the camera app is not even present. Although this may not provide as extensive information that location data would to an app, users may be even more uncomfortable with this breach of privacy because they had a reasonable expectation that this would not happen to them.
For some time now, conventional wisdom has claimed that younger people don’t pay attention or care about their privacy online. However, that conventional wisdom had always been, at best, an oversimplification. Studies show that 13-year-olds are more aware of their online privacy versus a 35 year old. To classify “younger generation” 18 to 29-year-olds are considered young adults whereas 13 to 17-year-olds are the “younger generation”.
When people talk about young people and privacy, it’s useful, to point out that the privacy-related attitudes, concerns and practices of 13-year-olds are, as you might figure, quite different from those of 35-year-olds. 60% of teens surveyed for the NCSA report saying “they have created accounts that their parents were unaware of, such as on a social media site or for an app”. Teens are more worried about their parents privacy when it comes to the internet. The older “young people” surveyed by Hargittai and Marwick, report that they deploy a wide variety of privacy-protective measures. The younger generation uses different sites and apps for different reasons and purposes, configuring settings on social media sites, using pseudonyms in certain situations, switching between multiple accounts, turning on privacy settings in their apps, opting out of certain apps of sites, deleting cookies, and even using Do Not Track browser plugins and password management apps. Not many “older adults” go through all of these protective measurements to stay this safe when it comes to online websites and apps.
There are currently over 1.96 million apps available to download on the Apple App Store. These apps range over many categories, such as social media, lifestyle, and kids. The average person will mindlessly download at least 20 apps onto their smartphone. Though these apps provide short term satisfaction, an important question arises: do users understand what information they are unknowingly giving to app developers while using it?
What the Data Linked to You section means is that app developers collect this data to link it to your identity. A piece of data being linked to your identity can include data that is linked to your account for that app, the device you’re using it on, or other details such as your email. If developers want to claim that certain data is not used to link to you, they have to take the necessary steps to use privacy protections that essentially remove any part of that data that can be used to link it back to the user.
The other section of the privacy labels, called Data Used to Track You, uses “data from the app that is linked with your data collected from other companies’ apps, websites, offline properties, and used for ads or shared with a data broker,” (About privacy information on the App Store and the choices you have to control your data). Basically, some apps use various data to track you across different platforms in order to provide better targeted ads that you are more likely to be interested in or to sell to data brokers for extra revenue.
In the example image below, Apple app users are now able to see exactly what their data is being used for. There are no more unknowns. This simple to read and user-friendly feature provides transparency. With this initiative, Apple is trying to make users aware and give them control over their own information.
In most cases, deleting user application information seems mostly straight forward, just delete the account. But it is not that simple. A majority of applications store user generated data, even without the users permission or acknowledgement. Most applications offer a “deactivation period” which means, you can deactivate your account for a certain number of days (usually thirty days). During that time, your account will no longer be viewable to the public, almost as if it was deleted. However, if the user changes their mind, they have within that time frame to regain their entire account back as well as all the posts and information, like nothing was ever deactivated in the first place.
Certain applications gather information like phone numbers, emails, usernames and passwords, which are fairly common among most applications. However, some also request access to your photos, contacts, location, etc which is when the lack of privacy can become concerning. These types of gathered information are known as “risky permissions”. The types of permissions that applications can utilize without your consent.
That being said, the majority of companies cannot guarantee permanent deletion of everything. Yes, they will delete the account and everything posted on it, etc. But they cannot delete anything that was previously saved by other websites or users. So, officially deleting or deactivating your account does not necessarily mean all information you ever posted is completely gone forever - something every user should consider before downloading an application.
To ensure the most beneficial way of deleting your data, you should go back and delete all stored personal and public information, change the username handle if you think you may want it again in the future, unlink any other accounts from the one your deleting, double check to delete your “use history”, “stored personal data” and “account data” then begin the deactivation or deletion process.
How can users maintain their safety when accepting app permissions and using the applications?
Many people are unaware of what apps are using their data for. As shown above there are many privacy concerns revolving around your information and data. The purpose of this blog is to bring awareness to people about the app permissions and what exactly accepting their permissions mean. There are ways to control and better understand what information you are giving your apps. First, users can maintain their data by utilizing the control settings on their device. By going on the privacy setting on the users device you can control everything from location information, data about PC usage, browsing history, access to camera, microphone, and access to your information and data. Depending on the type of device you have, it may vary but for the most part the control center helps regulate what you allow an app to have the ability to do or to know, regarding your data. With each app you can control what is able to do. For example, you can turn off access to pictures or cameras if there is no reason for the app to need that data.
Secondly, it is very important to pay attention to the details of the app permissions. When looking into social media app permissions specifically, it is very important to pay attention and read what they use your data for. Revoking access to apps linked to your social media is a good idea. Apps linked to other social media can pull data from those apps allowing it to have more of your data that you may not have been aware about.
Things to avoid before downloading apps and while using them are first and foremost, approving all of an application's requested permissions without knowing what exactly they need it for. As talked about previously there are ways to manage what an app can and cannot do within the control center of the users device. Next, signing into an account via a social media profile can be quicker but is unsafe. More websites and apps can access your data that you may not have been aware about. Lastly, connecting apps and services isn't the best idea. This also allows other apps and websites to gain more information and data on you. Overall, paying attention and being careful about what apps you have and wish to install on your device help the user maintain safety.
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