Some Android Shopping Apps Share Permissions

Many shoppers will use mobile apps to make purchases during the holiday season. According to an analysis by the data privacy company Incogni, two-thirds of the 640 most popular shopping apps on the Google Play Store share permissions with an average of 1.8 ad libraries. That is, any app that requires permission for audio recording, image capture, or text reading will automatically share those permissions with any ad network to which it is linked.

The majority of applications share permissions.

Ad libraries were used by approximately 65 percent of the analyzed shopping apps, with the average app using 1.8 libraries. This means that users are giving permission to about three companies instead of just one, which was the app they gave permission to in the first place.

One issue is that Android systems do not distinguish between host app and ad library permission use, so permissions are not prevented from being shared. While the app may be safe on its own, an ad library may contain malicious code.

The two most popular ad networks with which apps share permissions are AdMob and AppFlyer.

Trend Micro, for example, found in 2017 that more than 800 Google Play apps had a Trojan that stole user data and shared malicious code with other infected devices.

Why do apps ask for permission?

An astounding 83% of apps ask for permission. Among the most concerning permission justifications are:

• 22.3% request audio recording permission.
• Access to precise (GPS) location is requested by 48.3% of respondents.
• 15.8% of your contacts request access to your contacts.
• 6.1% request access to your calendar events and confidential information, as well as the ability to add or modify calendar events and send emails to guests without your knowledge. 1.6% request access to your text messages (SMS or MMS).
• 8% ask for permission to call specific phone numbers.

Reasons for requesting permission

According to the report, four out of every five of the most popular apps use ad libraries, compared to roughly half of the least popular apps.

Consumers can deny permissions or shop with local merchants to stay safe during the holiday season.

Important takeaways

• Ad libraries are used by 65 percent of popular Android shopping apps, with the average app using 1.8 libraries.
• 83% of apps ask for permission.
• Only about half of the least popular apps use an ad library, while four out of five of the most popular apps do.

Stay tuned with DXB Apps for more such information.