More than half of the apps that you use on a daily basis are free. The question is, are they really free, or is there a price to be paid that may be worth more than you think? One tech expert thinks so.
Burton Kelso, a technology expert who has been tracking tech trends for 25 years, says that most people don’t know the extent of data collection that smartphone makers and app developers do on a regular basis.
“People should be really concerned about the information that is gathered on them,” Burton says, stating that even if the data collected is anonymous, people should still be more conscious – and wary – about the amount and kind of information that these companies have on them. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to match information with certain individuals.
For example, smartphones can collect location data, which can track down a person’s whereabouts at any given time. Using location data, it can be quite easy to see which areas we usually visit, which restaurants we eat at, which hospital we go to, where we work, where we spend our free time, and ultimately, where we go home each night. As humans, we tend to stick to patterns, which means that it won’t take long to pin down these activities on a certain person.
If you’re concerned about your privacy, you can turn off location data, as well as other app permissions on your phone.
