In recent days, researchers found that there is an extensive list of privacy focused apps and extensions that are actually putting users’ private information at risk. These applications and plug-ins can monitor and store information about your activities on their remote servers, even when they claim to be protecting you from surveillance and data collection. Researchers estimate that these suspicious software could have affected over 11 million people around the world. The software was available as mobile apps for both Android and iOS, and also extensions for browsers. They gained users trust by offering features intended to provide privacy protection. Unfortunately, they did exactly the opposite.
It appears that the suspicious application and browser extensions belong to a US based company known as Big Start Labs, which has its headquarters in Delaware. To make things even more concerning, the developers and the team behind the software seem to have unavailable. Nobody seems to know where they are and it is unclear who the share your data with. Part of the reason why it is unclear how this software is used is that they published under different names, even when the same company is behind them. The privacy policies can be found in digital image format, instead of traditional text file. This means that Google can’t index the privacy policy of this company, which makes them even more suspicious.
In order to help you to avoid the risks that this kind of software brings, we will include a list of the application that has been considered as spyware. These apps are owned by Big Star Labs, but once it was revealed that the applications were being used to monitor and collect users’ data, the company took down the apps from Google Play and the App Store. The Android operating system is more likely to be affected due to the Accessibility services of this platform, which provides a great deal of access. This means that applications are able to carry out some tasks without your input. The good news is that Google has been taking action on this problem in recent months.
List of suspicious Apps
- Poper Blocker
- Block Site
- CrxMouse
- AdblockPrime
- Mobile Health Clubs Apps: Speed Booster, Clean Droid, AppLock and Battery Saver.
The fact that these apps are targeting user’s private data doesn’t come as a surprise, after all, data-mining is widely extended due to its money making potential. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that there are probably many other apps that may also posse a risk to our privacy, even if you don’t know about it yet. Reading the privacy policy of any app that you use is crucial. This will enable you to understand what exactly is accessed by the app and how the information is used. In addition, you need to take other measures to ensure that your information protected. One of the best ways to keep your data private is using a VPN service.
VPN technology will ensure that your data remains safe because it applies encryption to your connection. This scrambles your information, which means that others won’t be able to see what you are doing. With a VPN, your data becomes unreadable for third parties and not only that, you can also overcome restrictions such as geo-blocks and censorship. The best VPN services are capable of adding a high level of security that will keep you safe from online eavesdroppers, hackers and large companies that want to profit from your personal information. Before subscribing to a VPN service, it is important to read the features offered and ensure that they support high encryption algorithms and secure protocols such as OpenVPN.
In the list of the best options available you will often come across names like, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, IPVanish, Private Internet Access and VyprVPN. They all offer the main features that you can expect from a VPN such as encryption and the chance to overcome restrictions to enjoy online freedom. What makes these VPNs stand apart from the competition is that they offer impressive quality in all aspects. Take for instance ExpressVPN, one of the most popular providers out there. This VPN based in the British Virgin Islands is known for the amazing speeds that it supports. With ExpressVPN, you will be able to overcome restrictions in order to stream a variety of content and more importantly, your internet traffic will be secure.
None of the providers mentioned keep logs of your internet activities, which means that you can enjoy peace of mind and browse, stream or download content without compromising your privacy. Of course, using a VPN is only part of the measures that you need to take in order to keep your information private. You also need to be very careful with the apps that you download and install on your devices. VPNs add a high level of protection, just make sure that you also keep an eye on the browser extensions and apps that you use.