Digital Security

Following the instructions for 'Thing 4' I opened the Play Store app on my Android. I found the menu which listed all the apps installed on my phone and chose the most harmless looking one to find out the permissions it had, 'Office Jerk'. Sorry, but I do get some pleasure every now and then throwing various objects at the poor guy just trying to get on with his work!
 
Scrolling for what seemed like 5 minutes to get to the bottom of the page I found the menu titled 'Developer'. I was surprised when I clicked on this. The list included access to my identity, to read modify or delete contents of my SD card and read my phone status. I must have given my permission at some point. I suppose in my excitement to start throwing things and make a nuisance of myself I blindly accepted everything.
 
Why does the developer would need access to this information? It got me thinking is this why the app is free and how does the developer make their money! With my head swimming I reached for my Gin and Tonic.....

Comments

  1. Stephanie (Charlie) Farley13 November 2017 at 07:15

    Definite food for thought there, what is it that free apps are gaining from your use? What data are they collecting? Great post!

    ReplyDelete

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