Improving User Choice Through Better Mobile Apps Transparency and Permissions Analysis

摘要: Our personal information, habits, likes and dislikes can be all deduced from our mobile devices. Safeguarding privacy is therefore of great concern. Transparency individual control are bedrock principles but making informed choices about which apps to use has been shown difficult. In order understand the dynamics information collection in demonstrate value transparent access details applications permissions, we have gathered 528,433 on Google Play, analyzed permissions requested by each app. We develop a quantitative measure risk posed devising ‘sensitivity score’ represent number occurrences that read users where network communication possible. found 54% do not any data. The remaining 46% collect between 1 20 sensitive ability transmit it outside phone. sensitivity differs greatly free paid as well categories content rating. Sensitive often mixed with large amount low-risk hence difficult identify. Easily available scores could help more decision choosing an app pose less collecting information. Even though “self-described” suitable for certain subset (i.e children) might contain ratings permission requests appropriate or expected. experience doing this research shows obtain how data collected used analyzed. fact only 0.37% (1,991) show declared “privacy policy”. Therefore, make real users, distribution platforms should provide detailed their if accessed used. To achieve greater transparency control, currently raw description accessible analysis change design operating policies prior installation.