In today’s world we have apps for everything and everyone, but I dont app a lot. Apps require too many permissions, too many data chewing updates, and run background processes which is privacy invading and not to mention a drain on precious battery time.

I recently got sucked in to buying a song or two on google play only to discover I cannot use them as ring tones! People wonder why illegal downloading is at an all time high! If you pay money for something, you expect that it is saved to a location on your phone! and it is for personal use, you should be able to play and use it for whatever you want; however this is not the case, it is saved in a google app.

My friends are really into apps but these apps simply require way too many permissions for me to justify their existence! I love phone games, they are a great way to pass the time on public transport or in flight however, the majority of games also require way too many permissions. Why would I give an app developer an all access pass to my phone?

Below is a list of shady permissions the majority of apps want:

> Phones ‘Identity’
>Contacts & Calendar
>Location
>SMS
>Photos/Media/Files
>Camera & Microphone
>Device ID & Call information
>Access to SD Card

Seriously? I do not believe apps require even half of the above to operate! I strongly recommended you seriously reconsider downloading any app that wants one or all of the above, unless it’s a must have app  such as Instagram and you are willing to forgo a little bit of  your privacy to FB corporation, in exchange for this app.

I have only found a couple of games that require NO PERMISSIONS what so ever and rightly so, as all of the above is irrelevant to my game play. If you are interested in privacy invading free apps try Piano tiles, Mahjong 3 and Word Hunt. I have also unlocked developer options in my phone settings and have blocked apps from accessing my SD card with out permission, I have also limited background processes so those nasty bots cant drain my battery and snoop around my phone when an app is open.

So next time you are downloading an app, just be aware of the types of information you are sharing and play with your settings to try and maximize what privacy we have left in the online world.

 Image courtesy of Hyena Reality at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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