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Showing posts with the label SDK invasion: The little known threat to your privacy on Android

SDK invasion: The little known threat to your privacy on Android

A new report from analytics company SafeDK has highlighted the danger that 3rd party SDKs pose to our privacy. The company tested over 190,000 free Android apps that were featured in Google Play’s top charts against its database of over 1,000 3rd party SDKs. Alarmingly the testing showed that on average Android apps use 17 mobile SDKs. What that means is that not only do you need to trust the developer of any given app, by proxy you also need to trust 17 other developers with your privacy! You might think that when you download an app from the Play Store that you are enjoying the labors of the app developer and not much else. OK, the app has some advertising, so maybe there is an SDK embedded in the app for that, and maybe there is something for analytics. Two SDKs, three tops. But what the latest  Mobile SDKs Data Trends report  highlights is that app developers are including (knowingly or maybe even unknowingly) dozens of third party SDKs in the code. Who is re...