Thousands of apps hit the market each week, and we've benefited a lot from various mobile apps with multiple functions. But they can also cause trouble when not much vigilance is given to privacy security.
From helping get you places to allowing you make purchases through a simple click. Smartphone apps have undoubtedly made our life easier and more convenient. However, sometimes, they can also bring us trouble.
"I always receive phone calls from strangers, I think I did pay attention to securing my private information, but I still don't know how the data got out"
Most apps require access to users' contact and private information. Some illegal mobile app production companies capture and even sell off the data to third party companies.
"The private data might be used by a third party for various uses, some use the contact information to advertise more effectively or some simply send malicious emails," said Chen Jun, an expert on mobile app security.
However, third parties are not the only ones to blame. Experts say that relevant organizations should shoulder more responsibility for the monitoring the security of apps in order to prevent privacy violations.
"Now mobile apps belong to different manufacturers, but we lack a unified standard in terms of security issues. A more rigorous regulation mechanism should be set up. For example, we can establish a security credit system for the apps," said Chen.
China's policies on private information security are still far from effective. Improved regulations and laws that provide legal deterrants to violators are yet to be implemented. This will help further standardize smartphone apps.
Besides, the lack of security awareness also contributes to the risk of private information leaking from the apps. Experts also suggest that mobile users should be more alert when it comes to private data collections and prevent apps from accessing unnecessary personal information. This will make these high-tech apps benefit our lives in a more secure way.
