Pocket Spies: The Untold Story of Your Apps.
Written on April 5th, 2023 by Feiyang
Imagine having a friend who keeps a diary of everything you do, right down to your tiny gestures and expressions. That’s pretty much your smartphone, but guess what? Your phone isn’t quite the friend you thought it was. It’s been telling tales about you to your favorite apps all along!
In this world where apps have turned into our own personal assistants, whether it’s predicting the weather, organizing our daily schedules, or connecting us with friends, they’re sneakily recording how we interact with them. Every button press, every scroll, every video watch, they’re all noted down.
Now, you might be thinking, “They’re just learning to serve me better, right?” Well, yes and no. Of course, understanding your habits helps them improve and offer you a better experience. But here’s where things get a bit hairy: They don’t always tell us how much they’re keeping tabs on us or what they do with all that information.
You know those lengthy, yawn-inducing privacy policies we all just click ‘Agree’ to without reading? They’re often filled with vague phrases like “user’s interaction with the service.” That’s like saying, “I ate food for dinner.” It doesn’t tell us much about what they’re collecting, does it?
To put it in perspective, let’s talk about this weather app called Yr, which is super popular in Norway. The app is made by a big corporation called NRK. When you use the app, it collects some data to figure out which features you like best. But the app’s privacy policy is a real mystery novel when it comes to telling us what kind of data it’s collecting.
But wait, there’s more! Recent research shows that even these simple interactions can reveal a lot about us. Who would’ve thought that your choice of emojis or the pages you visit could be used to guess your political leaning or your favorite pool game? Even how you tap or swipe on your screen could hint at your age, gender, or even which hand you use the most. It’s like these apps are playing a high-tech game of ‘Guess Who?’
Sounds a little spooky, right? While it’s not like they’re stealing your secret identity, this data collection process can feel a bit like someone’s trying to peek into your diary without your knowledge. Especially when it’s not super clear what they’re doing with all this information.
Most of the time, when people talk about data privacy, they’re concerned about protecting things like your name, email, or credit card info. But in this case, we’re talking about something different - your behavior. The way you interact with your phone is unique, just like your fingerprint. This information isn’t typically considered personal data, but it can tell a surprising story about you.
The bottom line is, our apps are learning a lot about us, and it’s high time we got to know what they’re up to! Just like in any good relationship, transparency is key. Let’s make sure our apps are being upfront with us about what they’re jotting down in their diaries.
Sounds like a wild ride, doesn’t it? And we’ve barely scratched the surface here. If you want to dive deeper into this fascinating world of mobile data collection and get a closer look at the secret life of your apps, you can read our detailed paper on arxiv. It’s like the behind-the-scenes tour of your favorite app, and it might just blow your mind!