Do you remember one? free application Gmail that you installed years ago and then forgot about? It's probably still accessing your email and collecting it data you.
Douglas MacMillan, of Wall Street Journal, us recalled a problem we are talking about every three and a bit: Some applications during installation ask for permissions and we allow them to have them. But then we forget it.
This fact is of course exploited by some "free" (and not only) applications to have full access to your email.
What MacMillan says:
One of these companies is Return Path Inc., which collects data on advertisers by scanning the inbox of more than two million people who have signed up for one of its free affiliate network applications. Return Path collects every Gmail, Microsoft Corp or Yahoo. The company's computers typically scan, analyzing about 100 million emails a day. About two years ago, Return Path employees read about 8.000 emails to help develop the software, according to those familiar with the company.
Worried about the idea? And it's just an example given by MacMillan. Think about how many other examples exist from apps that you have accessed, voluntarily or without even knowing it.
Think carefully the next time you find a “free” app that asks you to access your Gmail or any other email account usesth.
It is good to open directly the list of applications you have accessed and remove everything you do not need.
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