Article

It’s 2025, and we’ve come a long way since the early days of mobile apps. App stores have stricter rules, operating systems offer more control, and privacy awareness is growing. But despite these improvements, mobile apps still pose significant privacy risks — especially when users drop their guard.

How Mobile Apps Collect Data

Many mobile apps collect more information than they actually need. This can include:

• Location data (even when the app isn’t in use)
• Access to contacts, photos, or microphone
• Device identifiers and advertising IDs
• In-app behavior and user interactions

In some cases, this data is used for legitimate purposes (e.g., customizing your experience). But more often, it’s shared with third parties like advertisers, data brokers, or analytics firms — sometimes without clear disclosure.

The Hidden Risk: Third-Party SDKs

Many app developers integrate third-party Software Development Kits (SDKs) into their apps — for ads, analytics, crash reporting, etc. These SDKs can silently collect user data and transmit it to external servers.

Even if the app developer has good intentions, they may not fully control what these third-party components are doing in the background.

What’s Changed (and What Hasn’t)

• ✅ App Stores: Google and Apple have improved privacy policies and enforce stricter rules for app permissions.
• ✅ Permissions: You can now grant “only while using the app” access to location or camera.
• ❌ Dark Patterns: Some apps still trick users into allowing data collection by using confusing UI or fear tactics.
• ❌ Data Brokers: Aggregated app data still ends up in commercial databases sold to third parties.

How to Protect Yourself

Here are some steps every user can take to minimize risk:

• Review app permissions and disable anything unnecessary.
• Install apps only from trusted developers and official stores.
• Use mobile operating system privacy tools (e.g., iOS App Tracking Transparency, Android Privacy Dashboard).
• Consider using privacy firewalls or DNS filtering apps (e.g., NextDNS, Blokada).
• Be skeptical of apps that ask for access unrelated to their core functionality.

What Cyber Dream Does About It

At Cyber Dream, we analyze mobile applications for hidden trackers, suspicious permissions, and unsafe data practices. Our approach combines static analysis (looking at the code) and dynamic testing (monitoring runtime behavior).

We help businesses audit the privacy risks of their apps and guide them toward GDPR-compliant, user-respecting practices.

Conclusion

Mobile apps are here to stay — and so are the risks. While platforms have made progress, users and businesses must remain vigilant.

Privacy is not a default. It’s a choice, a configuration, and a responsibility shared between developers, platforms, and users.

At Cyber Dream, we believe that mobile apps can be both powerful and respectful of user data — when built with care.