Data harvesting and sharing by mobile apps is “out of control”, University of Oxford researchers have warned. Nearly 90% of free apps on the Google Play store share data with Google parent company Alphabet, the Financial Times reported.
Google said it had clear policies for how developers could handle data, and that the research had mischaracterised some “ordinary functions” of apps.
“If an app violates our policies, we take action,” the online giant said. Many free apps track behaviour across many different digital services, which lets companies build up a detailed profile of people using the app.
This data can include age, gender, location, and information about other apps on a smartphone.
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