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The Agora => UK & World News => Going Geek info => Topic started by: Maik on Tuesday, 23 October, 2018 @ 21:47:37

Title: Out of control
Post by: Maik on Tuesday, 23 October, 2018 @ 21:47:37
Quote
Mobile app data sharing 'out of control'

Data harvesting and sharing by mobile apps is "out of control", University of Oxford researchers have warned.

Nearly 90% of free apps on the Google Play store share data with Google parent company Alphabet, the Financial Times reported.

Many free apps track behaviour across many different digital services, which lets companies build up a detailed profile of people using the app.

This data can include age, gender, location, and information about other apps on a smartphone.

The data can then be used for a number of purposes including targeted advertising, credit scoring, or targeted political campaign messages, the researchers said in a paper.

Revenues from online advertising are more than $59bn (£45bn) per year in the US alone, they said.

And many people are not aware how data flows from smartphones to advertising groups, data brokers and other intermediaries, Prof Nigel Shadbolt, who lead the research team, told the BBC.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45952466