Smartphone and tablet PC applications that contain ads may be allowing advertising companies to track users' mobile browsing habits without their knowing about it.
Mobile security firm LookOut recently revealed that some advertising networks are collecting app users' personal information and browsing habits for more than a year via ads placed in popular apps, according to a report from
Reuters. As a consequence, they may have access to the information of millions of people around the world.
In all, more than 80 million apps containing these types of ads may have been downloaded, the report said. In all, about 5 percent of all free apps for Google's Android mobile operating system contain them.
"Aggressive ad networks are much more prevalent than malicious applications," Kevin Mahaffey, LookOut's technology chief and co-founder, told the news agency. "It is the most prevalent mobile privacy issue that exists."
Eduard Goodman, chief privacy officer for
Identity Theft 911, writes regularly about the privacy issues consumers may face from advertising companies which keep tabs on their data and browsing history.
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