Following security issues raised in the industry with the new google policy, similar reports have it that applications running on google’s open source mobile OS are capable of invading our privacy.
There is a security issue in all Android handsets that will let their applications spy on user images, according to studies.
According to investigations reported by the New York Times, Android apps can gain access to a user’s photo library as long as they gain rights to send data over the internet.
Android apps can go on to copy photos to a remote server without a user’s permission, developers and mobile industry experts have also noted, although it’s still not clear whether apps are actually taking advantage of this security loophole.
Stephen Rosenthal, communications and public affairs manager at Google UK told The INQUIRER, “We originally designed the Android photos file system similar to those of other computing platforms like Windows and Mac OS.”
“At the time, images were stored on a SD card, making it easy for someone to remove the SD card from a phone and put it in a computer to view or transfer those images. As phones and tablets have evolved to rely more on built-in, non-removable memory, we’re taking another look at this and considering adding permission for apps to access images.”
Despite acknowledging the issue, Google is keen to reaffirm that it’s new security software called Bouncer screens apps for loopholes that enable them to access to a user’s information.
This revelation comes just a day after Google implemented its new privacy policy, which has already seen the company come under fire for storing its users’ information gathered from multiple services together under a single account for each user.
Source: The Inquirer
