Experts told how applications steal data and how to stop it

We are used to automatically press "Allow" when downloading a new application. But if a simple flashlight or calculator requires access to your contacts, geolocation, and gallery, it’s suspicious. According to Alexandra Pozharskaya of the Popular Front project For the Rights of Borrowers, such digital carelessness opens a direct path for fraudsters: from endless spam to microloans in your name.

How do you protect yourself? Rule number one: read what you download. Before installing, be sure to look at the program card. In Google Play, look for “Data safety” and in the App Store for “App Privacy”. In the Russian RuStore, this information is also placed in the Data Security block. If a developer explicitly specifies what data they collect and share with third parties, this is a good sign of transparency.

But the test does not end at the download. Go to the settings of the smartphone and review the issued rights. Leave only those without which the program cannot physically work. On the iPhone, it is useful to enable a “Privacy Report”, and on Android use the “Privacy Panel”. These built-in tools will show the real picture: how often the application “knocks” on functions and which servers exchange information with.

Experts also advise to monitor background activity and traffic consumption. If a “simple” program is constantly hanging in the background and eating the internet while you’re not using it, that’s a wake-up call. Do not ignore minor updates without describing the changes. Often this is how new spyware modules are imperceptibly sewn into the code.

If after checking the application causes even the slightest doubt, do not risk it. Remove it and find a reliable analog, writes RT.