Aggressive ad networks pose mobile privacy risk

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 9 Jul 2012 at 08:52

Aggressive advertising networks have become the biggest risk to mobile data privacy, according to figures from security company Lookout.

The company says networks now have access to data – including contacts and locations – on 80 million handsets around the world, often without informing the user that the information is collected.

“A number of mobile ad providers have adopted aggressive behaviour over the last year, including pushing out-of-app ads, changing browser and desktop settings, and accessing personally identifiable information without suitable notification or transparency,” Lookout said in a blog post.

“Based on Lookout’s analysis, more than 5% of free apps have included aggressive ad networks, affecting millions of people.”

Clearly these aggressive ad techniques fall into the bucket of ‘not kosher’ for the end user, but it’s also a disservice to the entire mobile ecosystem

The company, which has launched a campaign promoting a set of mobile app advertising guidelines, claims adverts fund more than 50% of the apps market but that overly aggressive tactics without disclosure risk sullying the entire industry.

“Clearly these aggressive ad techniques fall into the bucket of ‘not kosher’ for the end user, but it’s also a disservice to the entire mobile ecosystem,” the company said.

"Many of these ad providers also use aggressive mobile ad delivery techniques that can confuse users, like changing bookmark settings or delivering ads outside the context of an individual app."

According to its research on Google Play, personalisation apps, such as desktop wallpapers, were the biggest offenders, with 17% of apps featuring aggressive ad networks. Entertainment (8%) and games (7%) were also high on list of dubious practices.