Thursday, July 12, 2012

Are the Androids Spying on You?

Are some mobile ads on Android devices acting as spies? According to one mobile security firm, the answer is yes. 

San Francisco-based Lookout Mobile Security, in a posting Monday on its corporate blog, said that "select ad providers" in free mobile applications are accessing personal information without the user's notification or consent, through the use of "adware." The personal information includes e-mail, phone numbers, and names...

Tip: Lookout Mobile Security is offering a free Ad Network Detector via Google Play. The Detector scans an Android phone and displays the kinds of ads, the ad networks, and the type of information that is being collected, so that a user can decide if a given ad-containing app should remain on the phone. (more)