50% of iPhone Applications Can Track You [iPhone Apps Might be a Privacy Concern, as More than Half Collect Device ID Information & Can Potentially Link These to Identifiable User Information]

Posted on TFTS by J. Angelo Racoma on Wednesday, 26. January 2011 under: Mobile/Cell Phones

Privacy is a big concern these days, with a lot of Internet users having social network profiles and always-connected mobile devices. But even if you’re careful with your privacy, the apps you use might be tracking you discreetly.

A recent study conducted at the Technical University of Vienna has determined that over 50% of iPhone applications gather and share your device ID, and this is done without your knowledge. The study has found out that amon 1,400 iPhone apps, 750 collected the 40-digit unique phone identifier and some even “blatantly compromised privacy” by accessing location information without permission.

This might have several implications. First, app makers can link your iPhone usage to your social networking accounts, and therefore your identity. Second, this information can be used to build user databases that include people without their consent.

Still, there have been no reports of actual acts constituting an invasion of privacy, but there is always the potential, given this security loophole. And then there’s the fact that the sample is just a very small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of apps out there. But then, given that there are many more apps untested, this might mean that a bigger proportion might actually be getting your device ID without your knowledge and consent.

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