Is your phone recording you?

The typical answer as to the popular question “is your phone recording you?” is often “no”, according to many. However, you may not be aware that some things can be recorded, and you may not be aware of it.

According to a recent investigation by TechCrunch and The App Analyst, some popular apps may be recording user data without proper – or more explicit – permission or understanding. The investigation reportedly looked at a range of apps and found ways in which the companies or the developers could record and store data they may not have permission for.

That’s worrying; especially in the era of continual breaches linked to apps, and ongoing concerns as to how much the likes of Siri or Alexa are taking in when they’re waiting for our commands…

Is your phone recording you? Your apps might be…

Google “is your phone recording you?” and you’ll see just how popular this question is nowadays. Smart tech can be great, but there’s understandable worries as to just how much data we may be willingly giving up to companies we interact with.

According to the recent TechCrunch and The App Analyst findings, some companies or developers may be able to see more data than we may think. Some may be able to access payment card information without us understanding this.

They say that Air Canada, for example, reportedly doesn’t use “masking technology” which means that developers could access additional data. Whether this is actually the case or not, we don’t know. But the point about the tech not being there is worrying; especially if an app is breached. That’s where the problems could arise if criminals can exploit weaknesses in apps.

It was also reported that some apps like Singapore Airlines and Abercrombie & Fitch reportedly use “Glassbox” tech which can allow developers to record screens during app use for “session replays” – typically to see how people interact with apps, and to iron out errors. Whether it’s made abundantly clear in an organisations’ privacy policy that this is happening is another question. There may be sound intentions for using such tech, but again the concern about apps is a real one.

With iPhone app data breaches and hacks reportedly happening all the time, the worry about who could exploit what is a real concern.

Do you know: is your phone recording you now?

Following on from these revelations, the next question is whether you know the answer; i.e. is your phone recording you?

Based on the investigation, it would appear that some apps may be recording more data than people may be obviously aware of. Even if the permissions were deep within a privacy policy, I would expect most people wouldn’t think that their screen could be recorded when using the app.

U-turn in Worcester GP data breach case

Airbus data breach