Smartphone Apps And Games Watch Everything You Do

If you have a smartphone, tablet or computer then you probably have a game or two or more on one or all of them. And these games and apps are as entertaining as they are nosey. These smartphone apps and games spy on everything you do.

In a recent CBSNews.com article it was revealed that American and British spy agencies have used games and apps to conduct surveillance on people.   It seems one of the most popular games, Angry Birds, is one of the worst for revealing your information. Angry Birds has been downloaded more than 1.7 billion times worldwide. A 2012 British intelligence report revealed that information could be extracted from the  Angry Birds game on smartphones using the Android operating system. The National Security Agency published a slideshow to the web that listed a host of other mobile apps that spy on users. Included are apps offered by social media giant Facebook and photo sharing site Flickr, and the film oriented Flixster. Another well known game that spies is none other than Candy Crush.

What information is extracted from these apps? One of NSA slides provided an example of a social media app for uploading photos. According to the slide the information generated by the app could reveal a phone’s settings, where it connected to, what websites it visited, what documents were  downloaded, and the user’s friends contact information. The app could even be used to determine users’ political views or sexual orientation.

According to a Wall Street Journal report  56 of the 101  most widely used apps for iPhone and Android phones transmitted personal details about users to advertising companies without the consent of users. 

Companies benefit from the personal information in different ways. But most target advertising based on the users address, hobbies and interests.

The WSJ report also pointed out that  forty-seven of the applications transmitted the phone’s location. Five of the apps tested revealed the age, gender and other personal information of the user. The phone’s unique ID number was the most widely shared detail. 

It was noted that the iPhone sends out more information compared with Android devices which typically use Google operating systems.

Breaking it Down

Let’s get real. It is highly unlikely that the NSA, CIA or the FBI has any interest in you. If they do then you probably already know and that is another subject. But what I want black people to understand is that there is another more insidious form of spying that is happening right now. It’s corporate spying. All people are talking about is Edward Snowden and what he revealed. But your real enemy is the corporations. They are the ones who have almost no restraints on what they collect and who they spy on. The amount of information that the government collects is microscopic compared to corporations.

Black people understand that the information collected is used in ways that doesn’t always benefit us. Are you looking for a job? Where have you applied before? Are you currently employed? What have you done on social media? There is a lot of information out there about you for whoever wants to buy it. And that includes what church you attend, who you voted for, who you associate with, your hobbies and if you a relative in prison and how often you visit.

Its ugly what these corporation know about you. Let me give you a taste. Think of everything you purchased at you favorite pharmacy in the past five years including your prescriptions. Can’t remember? There is a record of everything you bought, when you bought it,  what time you bought it, who the cashier on duty was and whether you paid cash or credit in the store’s database. I guarantee it! But it gets worse.

Who are you texting? Who are you calling?  How often do you text or call them? Who is in your favorites list?  Who do you email? Where are they? Who are your contacts and where are they? What phone are you using? What phone are they using? Who is their service provider? What games and apps are you using? What  games and apps are they using. How often are they used? What time do you leave for work every day? Where do you work? What route do you take? Where are you shopping? Where do you bank? Where are you right now? A single smartphone and app or game can answer some of those questions. A few apps or games in combination can answer all those question! And you probably have them on your phone or tablet right now!

Black people are not surprised by racial prejudice. And we know that we are watched more closely than others. This is nothing new to us. But the amount of information about us is now beyond our control and we need to act like it. That information is used to deny us jobs, credit, housing and even medical care.  Information collection needs to be curtailed but we can’t wait for that sluggish circus called the government to act. You need to be aware of what you download to your phone and tablet. Read the notices and warning that come up when downloading that new game or app. You will be shocked at what it is really doing. Privacy in the age of information is tough to maintain but that does not mean you can’t at least be aware of what you are giving up. Maybe, just maybe you can re-claim some of your information.  Its time to start on that job.

Finally, there are a lot of anti-spying programs on the market. And honestly, I have no idea what works and what don’t. But I can send you to this interesting article on how to tell if your phone is spying on you.

Now you know