Howdo Smartphones Leak Users’ Privacy?

Haonan Sun

doi:10.18686/ahe.v9i6.14319

Howdo Smartphones Leak Users’ Privacy?

Haonan Sun

Abstract

This paper examines the major causes of privacy leakage in Android smartphones and discusses potential countermeasures. The findings indicate that privacy breaches primarily occur through permission misuse by third-party applications, malicious links embedded in spam emails and SMS messages, and the inevitable exposure of personal information on social media platforms. Due to the openness and popularity of the Android system, it has become a primary target for attackers, with malicious applications exploiting excessive permissions or engaging in inter-app “collusion” to obtain sensitive data. Users’ weak awareness of privacy protection and the existence of the “privacy paradox” further increase potential risks. Proposed solutions include enhancing visualization of permission usage, employing algorithms to detect malicious applications, strengthening legal supervision, and improving users’ privacy awareness. Overall, smartphone privacy leakage remains a serious issue, and future research should further explore privacy risks in the iOS ecosystem.

Keywords

Privacy Leakage; Permission Authorization; Social Media; Privacy Protection

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18686/ahe.v9i6.14319

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