Can Smartphones and Privacy Coexist? Assessing Technologies and Regulations Protecting Personal Data on Android and iOS Devices

Yerukhimovich, Arkady; Balebako, Rebecca; Boustead, Anne E.; Cunningham, Robert K.; Welser, William; Housley, Richard; Shay, Richard; Spensky, Chad; Stanley, Karlyn D.; Stewart, Jeffrey; Trachtenberg, Ari; Winkelman, Zev

doi:10.7249/rr1393

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

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“…Many groups have proposed various solutions to this issue. For example, a collaborative effort between the RAND Corporation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has resulted in the creation of the DL-FIPPs Tool to assist policymakers in identifying weaknesses and strengths in current and future policies ( Yerukhimovich et al, 2016 ). In addition, others have recommended prompting developers to write privacy notices, such as through policy and regulation ( Balebako and Cranor, 2014 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Availability, readability, and content of privacy policies and terms of agreements of mental health apps

Robillard

Feng

Sporn

et al. 2019

Internet Interventions

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ObjectiveTo assess the availability, readability, and privacy-related content of the privacy policies and terms of agreement of mental health apps available through popular digital stores.Materials and methodsPopular smartphone app stores were searched using combinations of keywords “track” and “mood” and their synonyms. The first 100 apps from each search were evaluated for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Apps were assessed for availability of a privacy policy (PP) and terms of agreement (ToA) and if available, these documents were evaluated for both content and readability.ResultsMost of the apps collected in the sample did not include a PP or ToA. PPs could be accessed for 18% of iOS apps and 4% of Android apps; whereas ToAs were available for 15% of iOS and 3% of Android apps. Many PPs stated that users' information may be shared with third parties (71% iOS, 46% Android).DiscussionResults demonstrate that information collection is occurring with the majority of apps that allow users to track the status of their mental health. Most of the apps collected in the initial sample did not include a PP or ToA despite this being a requirement by the store. The majority of PPs and ToAs that were evaluated are written at a post-secondary reading level and disclose that extensive data collection is occurring.ConclusionOur findings raise concerns about consent, transparency, and data sharing associated with mental health apps and highlight the importance of improved regulation in the mobile app environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Availability, readability, and content of privacy policies and terms of agreements of mental health apps

Robillard

Feng

Sporn

et al. 2019

Internet Interventions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Is My Phone Listening in? On the Feasibility and Detectability of Mobile Eavesdropping

Kröger

Raschke

2019

Data and Applications Security and Privacy XXXIII

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Besides various other privacy concerns with mobile devices, many people suspect their smartphones to be secretly eavesdropping on them. In particular, a large number of reports has emerged in recent years claiming that private conversations conducted in the presence of smartphones seemingly resulted in targeted online advertisements. These rumors have not only attracted media attention, but also the attention of regulatory authorities. With regard to explaining the phenomenon, opinions are divided both in public debate and in research. While one side dismisses the eavesdropping suspicions as unrealistic or even paranoid, many others are fully convinced of the allegations or at least consider them plausible. To help structure the ongoing controversy and dispel misconceptions that may have arisen, this paper provides a holistic overview of the issue, reviewing and analyzing existing arguments and explanatory approaches from both sides. Based on previous research and our own analysis, we challenge the widespread assumption that the spying fears have already been disproved. While confirming a lack of empirical evidence, we cannot rule out the possibility of sophisticated large-scale eavesdropping attacks being successful and remaining undetected. Taking into account existing access control mechanisms, detection methods, and other technical aspects, we point out remaining vulnerabilities and research gaps.

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Can Smartphones and Privacy Coexist? Assessing Technologies and Regulations Protecting Personal Data on Android and iOS Devices

Cited by 2 publications

References 9 publications

Availability, readability, and content of privacy policies and terms of agreements of mental health apps

Availability, readability, and content of privacy policies and terms of agreements of mental health apps

Is My Phone Listening in? On the Feasibility and Detectability of Mobile Eavesdropping

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