{"id":31915,"date":"2013-12-09T10:19:06","date_gmt":"2013-12-09T18:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=31915"},"modified":"2025-08-08T01:52:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T08:52:50","slug":"android-flashlight-app-steals-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/mobile-security\/android-flashlight-app-steals-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Flashlight App Steals Data, Leaves Users in Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahh, the good old days\u2014when flashlights were simple, handheld devices, used to help light your way\u2026 Not light producing mobile apps tracking your every move.\u00a0The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a statement<\/a> announcing that Goldenshores Technologies, LLC\u2014makers of the \u201cBrightest Flashlight\u201d app for Android, deceived tens of millions of users by collecting location data and unique device IDs and sharing the data with advertisers, at times against the explicit instruction of its users.<\/p>\n

Upon first opening the popular free flashlight app, users were provided with a copy of the company\u2019s end user license agreement, which had a description of their data collection policies. One small problem: Goldenshores Technologies, LLC failed to note that the data collected would also be shared with third parties, including advertisers. An even slightly bigger problem: the buttons marking \u201cAccept\u201d and \u201cRefuse\u201d on the agreement were arbitrary\u2014regardless of accepting or refusing the app data collection policies, user data was both collected and shared.<\/p>\n

This is just one instance of many where an app creator\u2019s overeager collection of user data borders on unethical\u2014or just blatantly crosses the line. I recently wrote about an LG smart TV that was collecting user data<\/a> against the instruction of users. LG apologized for the data collection, suggesting it was a bug, and was quick to issue a fix. In the case of Goldenshores Technologies, a fix will also be issued.<\/p>\n

In their settlement with the FTC<\/a>, the makers of \u201cBrightest Flashlight\u201d are prohibited from misrepresenting their data collection policies, and must inform users when data will be shared with advertisers and other third parties. Furthermore, the app\u2019s creators are required to provide a disclosure that fully informs users when, how, and why their location information is being collected, used and shared. They will also be required to obtain a user\u2019s express consent before doing so. This is a great policy, and it\u2019s unfortunate that it took the FTC\u2019s involvement to achieve this kind of transparency.<\/p>\n

Tips to Get Started<\/h2>\n

The sad truth is that most apps won\u2019t explicitly tell you why they need your location or other permissions. And though they\u2019ll provide you with a lengthy list of policies, as you\u2019ve seen above\u2014not all companies are true to their agreements. As a user, there are steps you can take to help keep apps out of your personal data. Here are some tips for getting started:<\/p>\n