App permissions: pay attention before granting!

Installing apps and games on your smartphone or tablet is always a lot of fun. However, in a rush to obtain the latest resources or enjoy the hottest game, most users don’t pay much attention to a “detail” that can make all the difference: the permissions requested by that application. Many internet users don’t even know how they work or what they’re actually for – something that can put your online security and privacy at risk.

Firstly, however, let’s find out exactly what we mean by permission. Your mobile device is little more than a combination of parts assembled to form a single product: there’s the microphone, the front and back cameras, an array of sensors (gyroscope, GPS receiver, among others) and so forth. Going even deeper, your operating system is comprised of several other items: messages, internal storage manager, the file management module...

We’re basically talking about over 250 different elements that an application may need to access to work correctly. A photo app, for example, will obviously need access to the camera, the internal storage manager (to save or open photos) and other functionalities crucial to its operation. That’s why, when installing one of these apps, it will request access to those resources and components on your smartphone.

Freedom or libertarianism?

But stop and think. Does a mathematic calculation app really need to know your geographical location to work? Does a simple game truly need to write and read data from your cell phone memory? Or perhaps these apps are really nothing more than malicious software spread by cybercriminals to steal your data, while disguised as legitimate programs? Believe it or not, it’s a lot more common than you’d think. That’s why it’s important to take care when granting permissions.

Fortunately, nowadays, official application stores for the leading operating systems for mobile devices feature strict procedures to prevent harmful applications from finding a way in. Even so, now and then, an app with bad intentions does manage to sneak past the checks and become available for download. It’s up to the end-user to pay attention to the permissions requested by the software and to deny any judged unnecessary.

Even before downloading something, you can check what permissions that particular app theoretically needs to function. Finding something odd on this list means it’s time to ring the warning bells. 

There are critical permissions that you need to watch out for before permitting access, including: 

• Sensors;

• Calendar; 

• Camera;

• Contact list; 

• GPS;

• Microphone; 

• Internal storage;

• Resources for controlling phone calls and text messages (SMS).

You’re in control!

It’s worth remembering that if in doubt about an application already installed on your device, it’s perfectly possible to check which permissions it possesses and disable any you feel uncomfortable with sharing. Simply search for the security function in the settings menu of your operating system. If in doubt, rather uninstall a suspicious app to avoid any headaches.