When most people buy smartphones, the first thing they think of is to test a range of apps and determine which one works best for them.
There are billions of mobile apps available across different mobile operating systems, and 98% of them come free of charge. This means one thing, it is tough for you not to find an app that will match your desires. However, before you click “download and install,” do you ever take time to determine whether or not the app you want to grace your smartphone is secure or unsecured? Most certainly not!
Well, you are not a software developer; thus you might not be aware of secure and unsecured apps. You are forgiven for that!
But there is one question you need to answer, do you ever read app permissions before clicking the “accept” button?
Most people accept permissions before finding out what the app is asking to access, and this is why you need to know that even free apps come with a price – they are capable of breaching your privacy.
Which apps should I avoid?
Since there are billions of apps available on Google and Apple stores, it is not possible to analyse all the apps. However, below are some of the most unsecured apps, and if you must have them, invest in powerful automatic MySQL backups because you might soon lose all your data.
Go locker
you do not want your phone to be a ‘public amenity.’ There are specific areas you need to protect, so that not every Tom, Dick, and Harry access them when they lay their hands on your gadget. To do this, you need an app that can do more than your built-in screen lock. You opt for Go Locker, not knowing that you might be giving your private information to third parties.
GO Locker gets all the crucial information about your phone including your location and reading your text messages.
Although you might be tempted to think that since this app doesn’t have any advertising libraries, your private information cannot be attained by advertisers. It does worse than that. It can send your data to other app stores other than Google Play. Some stores use malicious apps to get your private info, and could forcefully install potentially harmful software into your device.
Camera360 Ultimate
If you are a ‘photoholic,’ then this is an app you have on your phone that you need to uninstall as soon as now.
The default camera application on your phone might be great, but you need something fancier. With the exclusive filters, facial recognition features, free cloud storage, and camera modes that Camera360 Ultimate promises, it is quite difficult to resist it.
This application doesn’t have any advertising libraries, which means you are safe because advertisers cannot get your personal information. However, it features the Baidu Search Engine, which is a Chinese-made Google competitor. Baidu is very powerful and can switch data and Wi-Fi on and off. With this kind of capability, it becomes easy for this app to steal your data, something you should not celebrate.
Angry Birds
Oh No!
Is angry bird unsecured? This can’t be!
Well, these are some of the statements you are making right now since you are an Angry Birds enthusiasts. This game is fantastic; we cannot agree more. It provides game lovers with a good way to pass the time and exercise their passions. Nevertheless, the truth must be told. This viral game’s spinoffs and sequels are not friends to privacy. They are capable of snatching your device ID, mobile number, phone call logs, and lots of other data that you wouldn’t want anybody to access without your consent.
However, the developers have made significant steps towards minimizing this risk, and the newer versions of the game are slightly secured.
My Talking Tom
If you have kids in the house, then the Talking Tom is a game you have downloaded to keep them occupied. The game features a cute kitten which among other things can repeat what you say. It is an exciting app, but its privacy settings are nothing to celebrate about.
The application has up to eight targeted ads which send your private data to advertisers, including audio from the microphone.
You might love adding apps to your phone, but if you care and respect your privacy, you need to consider researching an app’s privacy policy before installing it.
