The Planet of the Apps: The Good, The Bad, and The Funny

By Danny Murphy 

Courtesy of Flickr

There seem to be apps for nearly everything these days. In 2015, there were over 1.6 million apps available for Android and over 1.5 million available for iPhone. Over 1000 apps are submitted every day to the Apple’s App Store. In all likelihood, apps are being created for Android at the same rate or faster. Welcome to The Planet of the Apps. 

Apps are ostensibly created to help users of the app in some way. However, there’s another part of the app story that many users are blissfully unaware of. When you sign up for an app you have to agree to the provider’s terms of service, which are in fine print that nobody ever reads. Generally, the terms include an agreement that the provider can collect, use, and sell data based on your use of the app. The data gets crunched so that the provider, or whoever buys the data, can determine what products and services it can send very targeted ads to you about. 

I-Spies Are Looking for You

Courtesy of Workingthewebtowin.com

By Carl Weiss

Just when you thought online privacy couldn’t get any worst, technology developers have unveiled software that lets your smartphone eavesdrop on your TV viewing habits.  Called SilverPush, this Android-based third-party app uses your smartphone to listen for television shows, in turn providing advertisers with information concerning user’s viewing habits. When the app was unleashed in Europe, it caused the US Federal Trade Commission to send letters to12 developers known to be using SilverPush.  While the developer of SilverPush claims that the software hasn’t been used in the US as of yet, the feds warned them that use on American smartphones would result in the developers being held liable for damages if users weren’t made aware of the data being collected.