Return to site

Are Our Smart Phones Taking Away Our Privacy?

The Smartphone has become very popular considering people's requirements for improved connectivity and entertainment.

broken image

In this digital age, young people cannot think of leading life without Smartphone. Different Smartphone brands offer innovative features that attract the young people to use those phones. Most of the Smartphone brands have all the features like a personal computer but a person cannot always carry his or her personal computer or laptop in any places or cannot use the PC when they are on the move. In such a situation, the Smartphone come to the rescue. The users can easily connect to internet and perform different works easily even when they are travelling. Young people and teenagers usually prefer using Smartphone for connecting to large number of people over social media and focus groups. Smartphone also helps sharing videos, audio, image file and other types of media easily with other people which is not possible in traditional phones. The Smartphone users can get in touch with near and dear ones easily through video conferencing and other virtual reality experiences. Besides all these benefits, Smartphone also leads to different types of privacy risks. By taking advantage of the vulnerability of some malicious applications and browser, hackers can easily get into the phones and can steel confidential information of the phone users. There are different reasons for which the Smartphone is exposed to cyber attacks. The essay discusses how privacy of Smartphone users is compromised while connecting to internet.

In case you want a draft A-grade solution, then SourceEssay professional essay writing service Cambridge experts can produce anything whether is an undergraduate essay or PhD. Thesis work. All you get plagiarism-free academic online essay help at SourceEssay at less budget and time.

Previously people used phones just for communicating with people who live apart from us. Those old handsets could not be used for social media communications, picture and video sharing, seeing movies and playing games. The Smartphone has become very popular considering people's requirements for improved connectivity and entertainment (Braun et al. 2018). These days, Smartphone work just like a mini version of personal computer that people can use for different functions. People can watch movies, listen to songs, share pictures via internet, can communicate over social media by using Smartphone. Even Smartphone have most of the features like a personal computer and therefore, people can also use the Smartphone for doing official works. Besides this, Smartphone have a unique feature of geo-tracking and therefore, it is easy to find out lost phones via GPS chips or multi lateration network (Alsaleh et al. 2017). When people are outside home, they can easily share their locations via the GPS services by using their Smartphone. In many cases, lost people have been found easily because of this feature of the Smartphone. Even police often can track criminals through their Smartphone locations. People usually use Smartphone so that they can use different types of applications over their phones and can perform different works.

Though there are many benefits of using Smartphone, it cannot be denied that Smartphone often lead to serious privacy issues for the users. Geo tracking is a common feature of all Smartphone that helps knowing the location of the phone easily (Varol, et al. 2017). The feature is useful for tracking the locations of criminals through by using their phone location. The feature also helps in app navigating while the user is travelling long distances. Geo-tracking also helps finding out lost phones. However, it is true that this feature helps find out lost phones and people but anyone can track the location of the Smartphone user because of this feature. Therefore, criminals also can track the locations of people and can harm them anyway. The applications that are used by most of the Smartphone users usually ask for permissions for accessing personal data like phone calls, photos, videos, saved numbers and many others. In studies it has been revealed that those personal information and data are often used for unethical means ((Jayakumar et al. 2019).

 

Besides all these things, majority of the Smartphone users use Smartphone for communicating with people over social networking sites. All social networking sites are not safe and they do not use proper mechanisms for protecting the personal information and confidential data of the users. As a result of it, unauthorized people often get access of the personal data and information of users and cal use those data for unethical purposes (Braun et al. 2018). On the other hand, many Smartphone users are not enough aware of the common privacy issues while using social networking sites and therefore, they often share confidential information and their locations over social media. For this reason, often unknown persons or even criminals can track the personal data of Smartphone users and they can even harm those Smartphone users with help of those confidential data. Some of the social networking sites and communication tools cannot encrypt the conversations between two persons and therefore, unauthorized people can read those conversations. These types of issue lead to compromised privacy of smart phone users.

As people use different types of applications in Smartphone, malicious software can also be harmful for the privacy of the users. As per the point of view of Im et al. (2020), when malicious software are downloaded in a Smartphone, it does not only affect the functionality of the phone but those malicious software can also help unauthorized users to steel data and files from the user's phone. The stolen files also might contain confidential information about the users and their family. Users mainly prefer using Smartphone over traditional phones just because enjoying internet services. When users surf the internet, they might visit malicious and insecure sites unknowingly. In such cases, the user's internet ID or account becomes prone to cyber attacks (Jayakumar et al. 2019). Some users also do not use effective antivirus or anti-malware software for protecting their phones from cyber attacks. As a result of it, it becomes easier for the hackers to get into their smart phones for steeling confidential data. However, it is not always that the stolen data is used for doing unethical works but it cannot be denied that the theft of data and confidential information is invasion to the privacy of the smart phone user.

 

Phishing is another issues faced by Smartphone users. Phishers or hackers often send mails or text messages pretending that those messages are from some legitimate organizations and ask the users to click on links or share their confidential information so that they can access the personal data of the users. This is the reason that Smartphone users are often told that they should never share their confidential information with unknown person over the phone or they even should not click on links that are suspicious (Teixeira et al. 2020). However, it is the lack of awareness of Smartphone users for which phishes often perform cyber attacks on their phones and steel personal data, videos, pictures and other information. It has revealed in many cases that after steeling personal and confidential information from the Smartphone users, the phishers and hackers often do black mailing to many Smartphone users. Hackers often perform worm attacks on the servers of internet providers and those attacks also affect the privacy of the smart phone users who connect to internet via those servers.

Besides all these things, people often use smart phones for buying necessary things and the e-commerce sites often ask for sharing confidential data like identity proof, online payment ID, name and address and other things for creating accounts (Baumgärtner et al. 2020). Usually the owners of renowned, famous and reputed e-commerce sites do not use the confidential data for unethical reasons. However, in some cases it has been revealed that the owners of some e-commerce sites often sell those confidential data of users to third party vendors who might use those data for unethical purposes. Some retailers also provide facilities of free WI-Fi facilities to shoppers. As cellular data often falters in closed buildings and specific locations, shoppers use the free Wi-Fi connection to connect to internet via their Smart phones. However, it has been revealed that retailers can track the internet activities of the shoppers easily when they connect to the free Wi-Fi connection. For example, a departmental store in the United States named Nordstrom used to provide free Wi-Fi connection to its shoppers and it used to use a service called Euclid Analytics to track the activities of shoppers (Drakonakis et al. 2019). The company has been on the headlines for this unethical act. However, after that the company never used Euclid Analytics.

 

In these days the owners of social networking sites and e-commerce sites often use sensors and other types of software for tracking the search results of the users so that they can recommend more attractive products and can show attractive posts to the users as per their best interests. Many applications track which retailers the phone user visits and the time spent in different online retailers are also tracked by the applications. These things are usually done just because improving the marketing strategies of organizations and providing better surfing experience to users. However, in some cases, the sites or applications also ask permissions for reading contact details, phone call details and they demand accessing the images, videos and location details of the users which are not necessary for them (Legendre et al. 2020). In case, if this personal information is shared by the users, there remain chances that the information can be used for unethical means or illegal works.

 

On the other hand, the privacy of the smart phone users also compromised when they use their smart phones for online monetary transactions. It has been revealed in studies that the rate of financial crime has increased as the rate of online money transactions have increased in the world. All e-commerce sites and money payment applications do not provide enough importance to the privacy of the users and therefore, the confidential information like credit card details, ATM pin, bank details and other personal information are accessed by hackers. As a result of it, the hackers get access to the back accounts of the smart phone users and they can deduct money from the accounts (Breitinger et al. 2020). In many cases, the smart phone users also do not remain aware of the privacy risks and their consequences and therefore, they share their confidential data like credit card details, CVV number, bank account number and PIN to unknown persons and suffer consequences. A large number of people have complained against money theft after they have done online transactions from unsafe sites. From this perspective it can be said that the users need to be aware of the privacy risks of doing monetary transaction using smart phones. They need to make sure that the sites and applications used for online money transactions are safe.

 

In these days, people also use smart phones for availing cab services, booking flight tickets, train tickets and for booking hotel rooms. In many cases, it has been revealed that the phone users often need to share their phone numbers, names and addresses with drivers and executives for booking tickets or availing cab services. These events also involve security risks and privacy risks as those unknown persons can use that confidential information for committing unethical deeds. For example, the drivers and executives having the phone numbers of the smart phone user can stock the users over phone or they can even get access to the bank accounts of the smart phone user if the phone number is linked with the bank account (Koyuncu and Pusatli, 2019). In case if the bank account is hacked by using the linked phone number, there remain chances that unauthorized people can steel money from the bank account of the smart phone users. For this reason, IT experts often advise to change phone numbers to people if they are using smart phones and doing online monetary transactions over their phones. On the other hand, when addresses are shared with unknown persons, it becomes easier for burglars and criminals to locate the houses of smart phone users and they can harm the users.

Smartphone cameras also can lead to privacy risks for the users of smart phones. In these days young people are especially fascinated to use different types of smart phone brands having features of good picture quality. Smartphone cameras have many conveniences and it can help capturing and storing each memorable moments of life. Smartphone can be carried easily to any places and therefore, people now-a-days prefer using smart phones than traditional cameras. However, Smartphone cameras also have some privacy risks. Hackers often use specific mechanisms to activate he cameras in order to spy on the owners. In such cases, it becomes easier for the hackers to track all the activities of the smart phone owner and this issue can also lead to security risks for the owners of the smart phones (Ndibwile et al. 2018). On the other hand, In the opinion of essay typer Smartphone cameras are often exposed to malwares and therefore, it becomes easier for the hackers to get access of confidential image files stores in the user’s phone. In some cases, young people use different types of picture editing applications in their smart phones which need access to the stored images and live stream of the smart phone camera. As a result of it, the owners and developers of the application might also get access of the stored image files and other types of information of the Smartphone user. Besides this, these types of applications are also exposed to cyber security risks and therefore, other people can also hack the account of the smart phone user who has downloaded such applications in their phones.

Besides all these risks, Smartphone owners often invite some specific types of security risks because of their own faults and lack of awareness. The system software of the smart phones needs to be updated after specific periods of interval in order to protect the phone form possible types of cyber attacks. Hackers’ update their mechanisms regularly for performing cyber attacks on servers, computers and smart phones (Baumgärtner et al. 2020). Therefore, the companies developing antivirus software and system software also introduces newer versions of antivirus software and system software for protecting the users from evolving cyber security risks. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the smart phone users to use the updated versions of antivirus software so that hackers cannot easily get into their phones. However, many of the Smartphone users do not use the updated versions of the system software and they also do not update their anti-virus software regularly. Some of the users even do not use any types of antivirus software. As a result of it, the hackers can easily get into their phone for steeling confidential information.

Backdoors is android Smartphone and other types of Smartphone brands can also lead to privacy issues for the users. Backdoor android is a specific type of application in the android Smartphone that tricks the users to click on messages and advertisements and as a result of it, different malicious applications are auto downloaded in the user’s Smartphone. The auto downloading continues even after system reboots and the software compromise the privacy of the user (Henze et al. 2017). Backdoor applications are distribute on third party app repositories so that the backdoor applications are silently downloaded in the user’s phones. Those applications are also spread by drive-by-downloads and as a result of it, when Smartphone users visit some malicious sites, the backdoor applications are silently downloaded in the phones without the knowledge of the user. Those applications can steel confidential data from the user’s phone and can sell them to third party applications. The third parties can use that information for different purposes without the knowledge of the phone user.

From the above discussions, it becomes clear that Smartphone has many benefits and it helps the users to perform different works by connecting to the internet. Different Smartphone brands have different types of innovative features that satisfy diverse needs of the young users. However, according to assignment help Hobart experts the privacy of Smartphone users are often compromised because of cyber attacks when the users visit malicious sites, download malicious applications or share their confidential information with unknown persons for availing different services. Considering these facts, IT experts often advise the users to use updated versions of antivirus software in the phones for protecting the confidential data from unauthorized people. Besides this, users need to avoid connecting Wi-Fi in any location that might exposé the phone to cyber attacks (Sharma and Bashir, 2020). Moreover, it is not wise to share confidential information like phone number, address, names of family members in social media or public sites in order to avoid criminals to access the confidential information. Monetary transactions need to be performed carefully on those sites which guarantee safe transaction. The above-mentioned measures might not provide full protection from hackers but they can reduce the chances of cyber attacks on smart phones and can help protecting the confidential data of the users.

If you are not having sufficient data sets for assignment, then you can ask for assignment writing in Sheffield service help driven by SourceEssay anytime.

The study discusses how the applications used in smart phones can lead to compromised privacy. The study also discusses the possible consequences of compromised security. Smartphone is always exposed to phishing, work attacks Trojan attacks and backdoors and other types of cyber attacks. It has been revealed in the current research that Smartphone users often download malicious software and visit malicious sites unknowingly and as a result of it, hackers can get access to the personal data and files of the user that are stored in the Smartphone. The geo-tracking feature helps tracking the location of users when they are travelling long distances and it also helps finding out lost phones. However, criminals and unauthorized persons often track the locations because of this feature of Smartphone and can harm the users also. The Smartphone cameras are also exposed to security risks and they can be used to spy on the users. The study also explains the risks of sharing confidential information, pictures and videos over social media, e-commerce sites and other public domains. It has also been revealed in the study that online monetary transactions through smart phones can also compromise the privacy and security of bank accounts of the Smartphone users. Considering these facts, the Smartphone users have been recommended to use effective antivirus software for avoiding cyber attacks. Along with that, the users also need to avoid sharing confidential information publicly.

If you are thinking to buy assignments or looking for urgent case study assignment help, then SourceEssay writing service would be the best destination for you. Contact our writer to know more about our services.