Mobile Applications: privacy

Showing posts with label privacy. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 June 2016

The need for privacy policies in mobile apps

It is an easy task for the app developer to create a new mobile application during this technology advanced era but is that every apps safe for the user’s privacy? It is important for app developers to know the imperative laws before create an app because it concern to user’s privacy. When the user’s personal information had used by the third parties it can be a serious issue and illegal problem for the app developers and can be sued by the user. So the app developer must set the privacy policy into their apps which informs user about the precise purpose, who will have the data, categories of personal data the app wants to collect and the user’s rights. (Iubenda, n.d)

Application Privacy

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Mobile application became a trend for online business to connect with their customers and promote their products. Although it brings benefit to the business and customer but it also create a privacy issue. Some of the business shares the customer’s information to the third parties without customer permission and this action against the company privacy policies. Therefore, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which the independent agency of the United States government proposing significant improvements in the way businesses handle consumer information and changes in the controls consumers should have over their information. The business must follow the 3 top-level maxims: Privacy by design, Simplifying consumer choice and Increasing consumer transparency. So the customer’s information will be more safety after the business has a rigorous policy. (AppPrivacy, n.d)

Tuesday, 21 June 2016

The Predictive Power Of Location

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Nowadays, marketer used location as their strategic marketing tools to track on consumer needs from the company websites and mobile application consumer used. It became a powerful source of information about a customer’s position that can be used by marketers to deliver relevant messaging in innovative ways. It became an opportunity for marketers to shape consumer behavior and significantly drive sales. As a results, consumer’s privacy information was divulged. Consumers’ evaluations of online shopping experiences and repurchase intention were influenced when exposed to information about behavioral tracking practices. To prevent misuse of personal information, government should raise consumer awareness about the risk of mobile app by holding a number of workshops for the consumer groups to explore guidelines to protect consumers' privacy online. Additionally, companies who used aggressive tactics have to be punish according to the law. (Federal Trade Commission, 2016)

Reference: Federal Trade Commission. (2016). Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: Rules of the Road. [online] Available at: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/advertising-marketing-internet-rules-road [Accessed 18 Jun. 2016].

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By: Loo Su Fia

Crooks misusing police mobile apps

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Mobile phone applications are convenient tools for people to complete different tasks. Besides, it’s easy to install and use when you have a smartphone. In India, the police of Tumakuru had launched a mobile app to the public so people can use this app to report incidents online and get responses immediately. Although it brings benefit to the public but still have some criminal use the police app to hack people’s bank account by entering their phone number in the police app make a false report and get the victim duplicate SIM so the victim would not receive any alert message of money transaction. Therefore the victim money was transferred to the criminal account without and notice. There are some people misuse the mobile apps for crime action when it’s convenient to all users. To solve this issue the police department must discuss with the technical team to improve the app secure. (Gowhar, 2016)

British mobile phone users’ movements 'could be sold for profit’

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Cybercrime use the hacker apps to hack public information and sell it for profit also an issue of misuse mobile apps. The cybercrime also use those information to blackmail people. Some of the mobile apps have location tracking function to provide the user details so the criminal will create the societal problem for instance kidnapping, swindle case and others. The solution of this issue are people close their location tracking function apps and not using the public WIFI to download any apps or register something that use personal details. Besides, mobile company should make contracts available before the point of sale and marketing to let people know what data had been collected and who will be shared with it so the violate personal privacy issues will be lessen. (Gayle, 2016)

Misuse of Location Data

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The advanced mobile applications able to detect the users current location based using a combination of GPS coordinates with the ID of the nearest mobile tower, called as location data. This may acts as a useful way for users to find way out when they are missing, but this could lead to the invasion of privacy some app providers and developers sell their users' location data to marketing companies for targeted advertising. Several UK regulations are used to protect the users and allow users to setting off their location to hide them in the crowd and protect their privacy (Misuse of Location Data | Taylor Wessing LLP, 2016).

By: Edward See

Social and Mobile Apps Push Back Against FBI Pressure on Encryption

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This article mentioned about the escalation between FBI an Apple over the tech grant’s refusal to unlock a terrorist’s Iphone. FBI has been trying to pressure Iphone but Iphone refuse to implement this because it is not safe as when FBI could use the techniques that emulate the generated security keys but others can do the same thing to FBI too. The consequences are hackers can easily hack into anyone mobile application and violate the user’s privacy. Although there are laws to prevent the FBI to hack into the systems, but law may shifts in the future, hence, more advanced technology is needed to block the FBI from hacking (Morrison, 2016).

Issues

Wednesday, 22 June 2016

Tuesday, 21 June 2016