So many apps collect user data without permission Google: Android 10.0 will solve this problem

According to foreign media reports, researchers from the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) found that as many as 1,325 Android applications were able to bypass restrictions and collect precise geolocation data and mobile phone serial numbers from user devices, even after users explicitly denied authorization.

In response to the above situation, Google said it will try to solve the problem in Android Q, the operating system expected to be released this year. The update will solve the above problems by hiding the location information in photos so that applications cannot obtain it, and will also require any application that accesses Wi-Fi to make a request to the user in order to obtain location-related data.

The study looked at more than 88,000 apps from the Google Play store, tracking how data was transferred when users denied permission to the apps. The researchers found that the photo editing app Shutterfly was collecting GPS coordinates from photos and sending that data to its own servers, even when users refused to grant the app access to their location data.

Some apps rely on other apps that are authorized to view personal data to collect phone serial numbers such as IMEI codes. These apps read unprotected files on the device's SD card and obtain data they do not have permission to access. These apps include Baidu and Hong Kong Disneyland apps.

It is reported that at the Usenix Security conference next month, researchers from the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) will publish detailed information on the 1,325 applications they discovered.