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Report: Android and iOS apps are transmitting user data to thirdparties

Wall Street Journal investigates

Report: Android and iOS apps are transmitting user data to thirdparties
Though the sending of app data to thirdparties has been in place since the App Store's founding days, it was Apple's criticism of analytics firm Flurry's activities on iOS earlier this year that brought such activities firmly into focus.

In reply, Apple took steps to block the sending of data without the user's permission.

However, a recent study by the Wall Street Journal has called into question whether the policy has been effective.

All eyes on apps

In an investigation monitoring 101 popular apps on both iPhone and Android, the paper claims 56 of them – including the likes of Angry Birds, Bejeweled and Paper Toss – were found to be sending the handset's unique device ID (UDID) to thirdparties without permission.

The report suggests 47 apps were also broadcasting the user's location, while five reportedly transmitted other forms of personal data, such as age and gender.

"The findings reveal the intrusive effort by online tracking companies to gather personal data about people in order to flesh out detailed dossiers on them," the paper reports.

"Smartphone users are all but powerless to limit the tracking. On computers it is also possible to block or delete cookies, which are tiny tracking files. These techniques generally don't work on cellphone apps."

Data debate

It's the question of just where such data is being sent, however, that is the crux of the issue.

While the paper itself claims ad networks are one of the primary recipients, it's possible many of the offending apps are in fact sending their info to networks such as OpenFeint, Crystal and Scoreloop, or analytics firms like Flurry.

In either case, such data is generally collated to give an insight into the app's performance, whether in regards to its usage or userbase - neither of which could be classed as the kind malevolent activity the Wall Street Journal surmises.

In response to the allegations, Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr told the paper that iOS has "strong privacy protections for our customers, especially regarding location-based data".

Google, meanwhile, suggested it is the developers, rather than the platform holder, that bears the responsibility for how user information is handled.

[source: Wall Street Journal]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.