Mobile Applications and Privacy

Privacy:

Privacy can be defined and described in many different ways. Central, however, the individual's sanctity and demands respect from other people, respect for personal integrity and privacy. Your privacy is closely linked to individuals' opportunities for privacy, independence and self-expression. The right to privacy included, among other things of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Article 8 and is central to the EU data protection directive (95/46 EC).An essential element of privacy is that people should in principle be able to decide what others should know about his or her own personal circumstances. We can in this context to talk about "personal data protection", and it is primarily this dimension that is subject to extensive regulation, such as the Personal Data Act, the Health Register Act, the rules on confidentiality, etc..  Www.regjeringen.no


     1. What is a Mobile Applications

    A mobile application, there are additional programs or pieces of data added to a cell phone so that it  can perform one or more functions. These applications are not always related with phone calls, but can give your phone extra features and usage. For example, people can now surf the web, blog, contribute to their Twitter accounts, or play simple to complex games. A mobile phone app may be able to find the location of a friend or turn the phone into a calculator.      

http://www.izense.com/sites/default/files/iphoneapps1.jpg

Here you will find a variety of useful Android applications with descriptions.

There are already more than 50 000 different suppliers of the various mobile applications today is the leading platforms.  Apple App Store includes nearly 600 000 applications, while the Android Market has about 400 000 And only 5 percent of all applications have a personvernpolicy.

By 2015 it is expected that it will be loaded with 98 billion mobile applications a year and that sales in this market will grow from the current $ 6.8 billion to 25 billion within four years. Refrence Source

   2. What do applications on you?

Since mobile apps are becoming more and more integrated into our everyday lives, are Smartphone users to the greatest extent exposed to applications that can spy on them.
The applications typically collect the position data, calendar data and telephone data (such as mobile number and IMEI number that identifies the mobile phone) and data that can be obtained from the built-in camera and microphone.

Most applications can:

 

Ø send your phone's identity

The most common way to do this is to send the phone's IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) to the developers, without the user knowing anything about this activity.IMEI code is checked against the operator's registry every time you turn on the phone and is a sort of ID card that provides phone access to the mobile network. This allows the operator at all times identify and find out who is online.

Ø track activity on the Web

The researchers add that they cannot prove that the application's built-in functionality used when running on a mobile phone. But in theory the information can be used to track the phone and surfing the web. Just like cookies used to track surfing on a PC.  Refrence Source 
Last year it was revealed that 30 popular applications on the Android Market has sent sensitive information back to the developers.

Ø find out what to do and where you are
It has done research and found out that it sent a lot of information from cell phones that are not resolved with the user in advance.
Or it even goes through the user's contact list without permission.

Read more about mobile app on the Datatilsynet website.  



3.  What can be done?

A recent survey by TRUSTe found that 38% of smartphone users set as their primary concern with the use of mobile apps, privacy. Almost all that was asked in the survey, said they wanted more transparency in the treatment of personal data and control what information is used. Only 38% were of the opinion that their personal information was treated adequately by the use of mobile apps, while 25% believe that "app store" distribute mobile apps that protects your privacy in a satisfactory manner. TRUSTe has also checked how many apps that have a privacy policy. Only 19% of the top 340 had privacy policy. Here there is consequently great challenges ahead for this part of the industry.

Ø  General:
It is expected that the Datatilsynet will have a strong focus on this in the future and engage in dialogue with the actors in the app industry, with a view to prepare good privacy policies to users.
A joint agreement may require the suppliers of all applications to enter the privacy policy in the application described so that users know what and how application providers collect, use and share personal information, before the application is downloaded and used.
Law and rules requiring developers and contractors to take the time to understand what data they collect through their app, and what legal and personal obligations that data can cause.
Platform owners should also ensure that users are given tools to report on applications that do not follow the privacy rules. The companies also undertake to implement procedures for handling such reports.

Ø  Individual:
You need to be critical when installing new applications.Many popular mobile applications leaking user data. Symantec recommends that you use only regulated market place to download applications. In particular, you should carefully review the security settings for installation. Be critical of applications requesting permission to share more information than necessary.
Read more about privacy advice on the use of mobile applications.