Study Reveals 90% of Top Russian Android Apps Share User Data with Third Parties
An investigation by the online publication The Bell, using the AppCensus service and the Exodus privacy audit platform, has revealed that nearly 90% of the most popular Russian Android apps transmit personal user data to third parties. The analysis focused on which data is processed and shared by popular Android apps in the Russian Google Play Store, as well as the permissions these apps request from users.
Key Findings
- Out of the top 100 free apps, 89 send user data to external platforms.
- Almost all apps transmit information, including the Android Ad ID, through both encrypted and unencrypted channels. This not only allows Google’s advertising system to easily link a device to a specific user, but also gives third parties access to personal information such as geolocation.
- The app “Read for Free” by Litres leads in the number of data transmission channels, with 31 channels identified.
- The “Channel One” app ranks first in the number of unencrypted data streams.
- Apps from Channel One, Russia TV, and NTV use the less secure HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS when sending data to the media measurement company Mediascope.
Use of Advertising Trackers
Almost all analyzed apps (97 out of 100) use advertising trackers that help search engines and social networks identify specific accounts and display targeted ads. The highest number of trackers—30—was found in the popular looping video service Coub.
App Permissions
Among the most popular Google Play Store apps, VK by Mail.ru Group requests the most permissions. In total, apps request 60 different permissions, including access to geolocation, camera, microphone, call and message history, and device information.
Additional Statistics
According to Symantec, 46% of all Android apps request access to the smartphone’s camera, and 25% request permission to record audio without notifying the user.