Today Apple has rolled out Adblock Focus, one of several apps used by Sensor Tower collecting usage information apps, statistics and other user information. The company has over 20 applications between the App Store and the Google Play Store, all of which have been downloaded approximately 35 million times.
Analysis yes, without informing the user no
Sensor Tower is a company that analyzes data for application usage. It provides several platforms to measure downloads, revenue, advertising and more in different markets. Yesterday we discovered, thanks to an article from Buzzfeed News, that access to this information was fraudulently used over 20 applications for the company to distribute on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Requests are offered as free and privately owned VPN services, and none of them indicate their connection with a well-known data analysis company. According to Randy Nelson, head of the moving company division, the connection of apps with Sensor Tower remained the same. the secret of competitive reasons. Buzfeed found relationships by noting that apps share code signed by company employees.
These applications, once installed, instruct the user to install a Sensor tower certification monitor all traffic and data which passes through the device. The company avoids the restrictions of Apple and Google in terms of certificates by having users install them on an external webpage.
Nelson noted that "our applications do not track, request, or store any confidential user information, such as passwords, usernames, etc." Adding that "the majority of applications have been discarded and many are in the process of being abandoned", something, we now know, is because periodic releases of apps by Apple. An Apple company spokeswoman confirmed that more than a dozen Sensor Tower apps had been removed from the App store in violation of store rules. After being discovered Apple withdrew Focus on Adblock by Google Mobile data, two company apps.
The two companies will further investigate Sensor Tower applications and data collection techniques performed by the company. That should be remembered we must not install certificates on a regular basis on our devices from unknown apps or developers.
Source | Buzfeed
