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Almost 9 in 10 Android Apps Are Able To Share Data With Google, Says Study (ft.com)
A peer-reviewed study [PDF] of almost one million Android apps has revealed how data from smartphones are harvested and shared, with nearly 90 percent of apps set up to transfer information back to Google. From a report: Researchers at Oxford university analysed approximately a third of the apps available in Google's Play Store in 2017 and found that the median app could transfer data to 10 third parties, with one in five apps able to share data with more than 20. This year has seen unprecedented scrutiny over how websites use the data they collect from their users, but little attention has so far been paid to the sprawling and fast-growing world of smartphone apps. Reuben Binns, the computer scientist who led the project, said that because most apps have now moved to a "freemium" model, where they make revenues from advertising rather than sales, data sharing has spiralled out of control.
Users, regulators and sometimes even the app developers and advertisers are unaware of the extent to which data flow from smartphones to digital advertising groups, data brokers and intermediaries that buy, sell and blend information, he said. "This industry was growing already on the webâ...âwhen smartphones came along, that was a new opportunity," he said. "It feels like this legitimate business model has gone completely out of control and created a kind of chaotic industry that is not understood by the people who are most affected by it."
Users, regulators and sometimes even the app developers and advertisers are unaware of the extent to which data flow from smartphones to digital advertising groups, data brokers and intermediaries that buy, sell and blend information, he said. "This industry was growing already on the webâ...âwhen smartphones came along, that was a new opportunity," he said. "It feels like this legitimate business model has gone completely out of control and created a kind of chaotic industry that is not understood by the people who are most affected by it."
So what you are saying is, "Now is not the time to get into app development", right?
90% of Android apps use Google's free usage monitoring service and/or ad framework?
You don't say.
https://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/science/display_advertising_ecosystem_011011-1024x741.png
That was eight years ago.
Free mobile phone OS written by biggest data collection and aggregation company is prone to and open to abusive unrestricted data collection. News at 11.
They run on Android. Android is the godking on the device. The gatekeeper between all the App’s IO. Screen, keyboard, everything.
And Android (not just AOSP) is Google. It can, itself, share whatever it pleases, as long as the laws or shadows allow it. Even demand it, if you want into the Play "store". Hell, even the bytecode is compiled for the target device, by Google's VM. Adding and removing whatever and having it behave however it pleases.
Not saying Android necessarily does. AFAIK, it still does it less than e.g. Windows 10.
But the point of the "study" is kinda moot at that point, don't you think?
I'll take Apple over Google. Thankfully Apple has sided with an individual's right to privacy. It's the only reason I own iphone.
are out to get you.
Its not paranoia if you right.
Just write your program in your favorite language, and have LLVM and a few tools compile it into an "app", or a WebAssembly program, or a console game, or whatever you like. Apart from just a plain old program.
With the right widget library, no problem. As long as all the libraries you use can run on the same base API that is available everywhere.
And to think that I was considering buying my first Android phone when my Mickysoft phone dies..... this story is a win-win for Apple.
Since when did papers on Arxiv get a claim of peer review? I mean, ok, I guess I read it. So sure.
To be fair, a big 80% of them don't even need them. There should be some regulation on what data I need to share cause right now it feels like an open bar and everyone is taking advantage of this obviously.
Particularly the Android fanbois and Apple hatorz.
I keep thinking maybe I'll try an Android for my next phone
And then I read this kind of stuff.
No thanks. I'll keep my iPhone.
So really... 8/10 apps are able to send data to Google?
A la Windows 10? It would be a more palatable if I were being given a new Pixel every 12 months...
Another huge win for Apple. Who the hell would want anything Google when these apps spend most of their time doing what Google does best, which is tracking you and selling your private life?
A quick view-source on this very page reveals plenty of google tags and other nice third party surprises.
Is there an independent website out there that determines what apps are collecting and gives them a rating based on privacy?
I often take a leery eye at "free" apps that don't seem to push many ads my way, but must be generating income via some stream. I'd love to have a resource that explains what apps are doing to generate their income on our behalf.
wishful thinking??