Is your Smart Phone’s Flash Light spying on you?

That is a great question and after listening to this video by Gary Miliefskynt, I have to say I checked mine and it was 12MB and I have uninstalled it and I am doing further investigation.

However I have done some further investigation and according to Truth or Fiction :

“A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint against the developer of a popular flashlight app has raised security concerns, but the full extent of vulnerabilities with other flashlight apps hasn’t been verified by the TruthorFiciton.com team.”

Truth or Fiction go onto to state that the Flash Light that SnoopWall recommend is one that they themselves make and therefore they are implying that their is a vested interest here and there could well be some exaggeration about the dangers.

Snopes.com quoted the Guardian with

“developers are often asking for far greater power over a user’s device, in order to collect data and sell it on to marketers and ad networks. It’s the latest reminder that if you’re not paying for an app, its business model may well involve selling your data.” Or, as Jeff Werner of the Northwest Florida Daily News observed:

Personally, I’m inclined to believe that there are apps out there that are sending personal data to places where that data has no business going, [but] I would be surprised if it was limited to flashlight apps. At the end of the day, it’s important for you to make your own decisions. Be informed, but don’t believe every last thing you see or read on the Internet. When it comes to your smartphone, because of the unique nature of the data it contains, and the sites that many of us access with it, be very careful which apps you choose to install. The fewer apps you select, and the more mainstream they are, the less vulnerable you will be to theft of your data.

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/flashlight.asp#k7kuZzF1O8LrDBOd.9″

What this does highlight though is the need to take security with your Smart Phone more seriously, check what your app is trying to access and potentially switch of unnecessary services when you are not using them.

 

For example if your phone is simply sitting around waiting for a phone call turn off your WiFi, Bluetooth and 4G. Turn off, “Force Stop” on apps that you are not using. If you are not sure how to do this go to YouTube or Google and search for an answer.

There are multiple benefits to this, a you will decrease the security threat even if it is just marginally but you will also improve your batteries performance as running all of these services chews through extra power.