Researchers denounce lack of transparency in app trackers

Researchers at Yale University’s Privacy Lab have analyzed data from trackers in Android apps. They argue that the lack of transparency raises privacy and security concerns.

Presenting its results, the Privacy Lab said, “Lack of transparency about the collection, transmission and processing of data through trackers raises serious privacy concerns and can impact the security of mobile software used by billions of people.” The researchers analyzed data coming from the French organization Exodus Privacy. It uses a web tool to analyze Android apps and search for tracker signatures. It also maps the permissions per app.

The Privacy Lab researchers reviewed the data and examined 25 of the total of 44 trackers identified by Exodus in 300 apps. The results of their work can be found on GitHub. They have provided each tracker with a description and other details so that interested parties can gain an understanding of the world of tracking. The researchers say this is the start of a tracking mapping project. They tell The Intercept that they have only researched Android for now, but they are convinced that the same trackers are present on iOS.

The site writes that some apps have six or seven trackers on board, including Tinder, OkCupid, WeatherChannel and Superbright LED Flashlight. One of the Privacy Lab researchers, Sean O’Brien, questions the companies’ motivation for using multiple trackers. Spotify, which uses four, only responded in general terms to questions from The Intercept, as did Uber.