The policies of the mobile apps to display ads and gather information from the user, with or without his consent, have been flagged numerous times as suspicious. The very problem arises from the fact that most mobile apps don’t have a clearly defined privacy policy, so the user doesn’t know much about them. Now, however, you can see exactly what the ads in a mobile app are doing, what kind of data they are gathering and how are they using that data. You can do it all with the help of Ad Network Detector, an app released by mobile security firm, Lookout.
The Ad Network Detector app lets you see which apps in your device are trying to access your personal information. The app also reveals the kind of information these apps may be trying to retrieve. Some times, an app will try to gather your phone’s information so that it can display targeted ads on your device. Ad Network Detector lets you see when this happens.
But things can go well beyond this rather harmless app activity. Some apps may try to create generic looking desktop icons to trick you into clicking them and having the ads displayed. Yet others may attempt to change your browser settings, like bookmarks or the homepage. At the end of the day, most of these apps will try to display an ad which is intriguing, at best and at worst, sneak away your personal information without your approval.
With the help of the Ad Network Detector, you can scan the apps on your device and see if there is the presence of any of the 35 mainstream ad networks.
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