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| What data does the location tracker app collect in the phone? |
Most of the apps that you install on your phone for the first time (either Android or iPhone) will allow you to request permission to track their location for the best possible experience, such as: b. Navigation apps, weather or grocery orders, and these apps track your location, which is normal because it is part of their business
However, some apps request permission to track your location, which is not required for their job, and they often want to collect your data to sell to ad companies. However, would you like to know what tracking apps the website provides? What data is collected? With cell phones?
According to a new study published by researchers from the University of Bologna (Mirko Mussolsi) and University College London (Benjamin Barron), the personal data collected by these apps is very sensitive.
When the researchers used the apps they developed specifically for this research, as many as 69 research participants installed the apps on their phones for at least two weeks to understand the amount of location data and personal information these apps collected, and the result was shocking.
During that period, more than 200,000 sites were tracked, nearly 2,500 sites were identified, and about 5,000 personal information related to demographics and personality were collected. According to the study, the most sensitive respondents were considered through the application. The data relates to their health, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, as well as their religious beliefs.
In this regard, researcher Mirko Mussolisi said: “We believe that it is extremely important to show users the amount and quality of the data that has been collected, especially the data that the app collects, by tracking their geographical locations. This is equally important for us to understand whether users believe it is It is okay to share the information with app developers or marketing companies or if they believe it to be an invasion of their privacy.
He added: “This study can help shed light on the development of systems that can automatically prevent the collection of sensitive data from third parties - third parties - thanks to the previously defined privacy settings, and this means that more applications can draw attention to the presence of site settings turned on. , The data collected exactly, or show what violates the privacy of the user.
What should you do to prevent these apps from tracking your location?
If you do not want the apps installed on your phone to collect your personal data, information, and track you, the best way to turn them off is when you are not using location services, bluetooth and other Wi-Fi connections by publishing as few applications as possible and enabling your browser privacy settings to block the use of location data and the use of the service. Reliable VPN.