Study reveals that your Android phones are tracking you

A new study by a team of university researchers in the United Kingdom has revealed a number of privacy issues arising from the use of Android.

android malware

The researchers focused on Android devices, specifically the Xiaomi, Realme and Huawei brands, and in addition to the genuine Android operating system, two forks such as LineageOS and / e / OS. The conclusion of the study is worrying for the vast majority of Android users.

With the notable exception of /e/OS, even when minimally configured and the handset is idle, these vendor-customized Android variants communicate significant amounts of information to the OS developer and also to third parties (, , LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.). ) that have pre-installed system applications.

As the summary table shows, sensitive user data such as persistent identifiers, app usage data, and telemetry information is not only shared with of the device, but are also transferred to various third parties, such as Microsoft, LinkedIn and Facebook.

data collection summary
Source: Trinity College Dublin

And to make matters worse, Google appears at the end of downloading all the data collected, almost the entire table.

There is no way to "disable"
It is important to note that as far as data collection is concerned, there is no exception, so Android users are powerless against this type of telemetry.

This is especially true when smartphone vendors include third-party applications that collect silent data, even if they are not used by the device owner and cannot be uninstalled.

For some of the built-in system apps such as miui.analytics (Xiaomi), Heytap (Realme) and Hicloud (Huawei), researchers found that encrypted data can sometimes be decrypted, putting users at risk in MitM (man-in-the-middle).

volume of data (1)
Source: Trinity College Dublin

As the study points out , even if the user changes the ad IDs for the Google Account on Android, the data collection system can reconnect the new ID to the same device, and attach it to the original tracking history.

Users are identified using a variety of methods, such as SIM, IMEI, location data history, IP address, SSID, or a combination of these.

data collector points
Possible data collection points that are interconnected
Source: Trinity College Dublin

Android affiliates, such as / e / OS, are becoming increasingly attractive as they offer more privacy to their devices. However, the majority of Android users remain locked in an endless stream of data collection, where regulators and consumer protection organizations must intervene and put an end to it.

iGuRu.gr The Best Technology Site in Greecefgns

every publication, directly to your inbox

Join the 2.100 registrants.
Android, smartphone

Written by Dimitris

Dimitris hates on Mondays .....

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Leave a reply

Your email address is not published. Required fields are mentioned with *

Your message will not be published if:
1. Contains insulting, defamatory, racist, offensive or inappropriate comments.
2. Causes harm to minors.
3. It interferes with the privacy and individual and social rights of other users.
4. Advertises products or services or websites.
5. Contains personal information (address, phone, etc.).