Do you know what your smart phone up to when you aren't looking or even when you are? Most consumers aren't keeping track, and that is not a good idea.
Privacy concerns are common and yet most of us download an app on our smart device without ever checking out the privacy policy.
A couple years back flashlights on smart phones made big news. That's because users became aware that some of their favorite apps like flashlights, calculators and alarm clocks, were spying on them.
"It can display ads, it can track my location? This is worse than my son," said Tanya Simmons of Richmond.
Most of us don't read the privacy policies, so now computer security giant Avast is offering an app that finks out other apps.
"People need to start understanding the trade-off between these real useful things that are free and what personal data they are collecting," said Avast CEO Vincent Steckler.
Let's take a look at the apps on this mobile device, using Avast.
Here is an alarm clock app, it looks innocent enough, but it can track your location. It can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone,"
And it allows an application to read all of the contact information.
"We tell the users for all the apps they have on their device, what those apps have access to so users can go through them and decide, hey, this alarm, clock is good it tells time, it wakes me up, but i don't want it to know my photos so i am going to get rid of it," said Steckler.
All this information is in the disclosure before you download, but few users read them.
"These applications are a bit way too curious," said Alex Cosoi with Clueful.
Clueful looks at the privacy policies of apps.
With Clueful you keyboard in the name of the app and you get a read out explaining its policies and what it can do.
"That's why Clueful is there, to make people wonder why would this application require all this information," said Cosoi.
By making it simple the hope is consumers will actually start making choices.
Just because an app says it can take information, doesn't mean it does. Many apps throw a wide net knowing few consumers check.
Both services are free and worth checking out.