Smartphones are an important part of our daily lives. We can't imagine even a day without using the smartphone. Smartphones are not just used for making and receiving calls, they have got various other features. Apart from making calls, smartphones are used for various other functions like ordering food, booking tickets, playing games, sending money, using social media accounts and so on. To do all these things on smartphone, you must install applications (apps) on smartphones.
We install apps on smartphones and start using them, without even thinking on the risks we are exposed to by downloading these apps. We don't even notice permissions we agree to, before downloading an app. Just giving permission can be risky and may violate privacy. By giving apps permission, you allow them to access personal data like contacts, photos, chats, notes, storage and so on.
According to reports, Indian apps are riskier than you think. On average, Indian apps seek 7.9 “dangerous permission” from users, which is significantly higher than those from the US. Dangerous permissions include permission to access and modify calendar, SMS, call logs, and storage; using microphones to record audio, sharing location information; and gathering details on emails and social media accounts. This can be very risky for users. So, it is very important to be proactive while accepting the terms and conditions of the apps. Do not simply accept whatever is asked.
If you blindly accept whatever is asked, you give mobile applications access to all data on your phone and this puts personal information at risk. Cybercriminals can make use of the poorly written code of these applications and gain access to data on your phone.
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1. Before agreeing to apps terms and conditions, make sure to read them properly. Blindly accepting the terms and conditions without reading can give unnecessary access to apps and this puts your data at risk.
2. A lot of people download apps from unknown sources, but this is not good. If you are an android user, you must download apps from Play Store and iPhone users must download apps from App Store (iOS).
3. To protect privacy, you can activate certain precautionary settings. For instance, you can deactivate location, disallow access to the contact list and also browse in incognito mode. Some apps require access to your location. For example: If you are using a food delivery app you have to give access to the location.
4. Before agreeing to any permission, you must examine them properly. Avoid the app which asks for permission that has no relation to its function. For instance, if the apps like camera flash are asking for permission to access contacts, photos, location and messages, you must avoid them. Such apps do not require access to contacts, photos, location, and messages.
5. Have a look at the reviews and ratings before downloading the app. You must avoid the apps which have got bad ratings and reviews.
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