Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Your Android smartphone is spying on you, a new study claims

Your Android smartphone is spying on you, a new study claims

Did you think you can trust your Android smartphone with your data and personal information? This latest study will make you think twice.

How much do you trust your smartphone?

Like many people, you probably carry your mobile phone in your pocket at all times. You may even have grown fond of your device, to which you entrust all your most intimate secrets and photos.

Yet Android smartphones are far from being trustworthy, according to a recent study.

The study - which was conducted by teams from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland - has uncovered a host of privacy issues related to the use of Android-powered smartphones by major brands.

Professor Doug Leith at Trinity College Dublin, along with Dr Paul Patras and Haoyu Liu at the University of Edinburgh, examined the data sent by six variants of the Android OS developed by Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Realme, LineageOS and e/OS.

What they found is that "even when minimally configured and the handset is idle, these vendor-customised Android variants transmit substantial amounts of information to the OS developer and also to third parties (Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook etc) that have pre-installed system apps".

What is your phone sharing about you?


Among the collected data, researchers noted the permanent identification systems of smartphones, the usage history of applications, and telemetry data.

With the exception of e/OS, all of the handset manufacturers examined collect a list of all the apps installed on a handset, the study highlights.

This is potentially sensitive information since it can reveal user interests, such as the latest dating app used, and so on.

According to the authors of the research, there is no opt out from this data harvesting.

"I think we have completely missed the massive and ongoing data collection by our phones, for which there is no opt out," Leith, who is also Chair of Computer Systems at Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics, said.

"We’ve been too focused on web cookies and on badly-behaved apps".

The professor hopes this study will act as a "wake-up call" to the public, politicians, and regulators.

"Meaningful action is urgently needed to give people real control over the data that leaves their phones," he added.

Xiaomi, Samsung and Huawei to lead the data share race


According to the research, the Xiaomi handset sends details "of all the app screens viewed by a user to Xiaomi, including when and how long each app is used".

The timing and duration of phone calls are a large part of the exposed data, the study reveals.

On the Huawei handset, it’s the Swiftkey keyboard that shares details of app usage over time with Microsoft.

"The effect is akin to the use of cookies to track people’s activity as they move between web pages," according to Dr Paul Patras, associate Professor in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh.

Among the collected data, researchers noted the permanent identification systems of smartphones, the usage history of applications, and telemetry data.


On another level, Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, and Google collect "long-lived device identifiers," such as the hardware serial number, alongside "user-resettable advertising identifiers".

Often on the bottom or back of the device, the hardware serial number is a unique number used for identification and inventory purposes. It is unique to the user and is most often asked for when reporting a phone theft to the police.

As for the user’s advertising ID, its purpose is to allow advertisers to pseudo-anonymously track user ad activity. It’s assigned by the device or operating environment and stored directly on the device itself.

The fact that Android systems can store this data implies that "when a user resets an advertising identifier the new identifier value can be trivially re-linked back to the same device, potentially undermining the use of user-resettable advertising identifiers," the study says.

How to end these 'under the hood' practices?


According to the study, there is only one way to avoid falling prey to this large-scale data collection - the e/OS variant created by Frenchman Gael Duval and derived from LineageOS.

This variant of Android is based on a module that allows the use of Google services without transmitting personal data. Access to personal information is blocked for Google and all third-party applications or services.

Apart from this exception, the researchers conclude that it has become essential to provide personal data in order to enjoy the benefits of smartphones and their services.

"Although we’ve seen protection laws for personal information adopted in several countries in recent years, including by EU member states, Canada and South Korea, user-data collection practices remain widespread," Patras said.

"More worryingly, such practices take place ‘under the hood’ on smartphones without users' knowledge and without an accessible means to disable such functionality. Privacy-conscious Android variants are gaining traction though and our findings should incentivise market-leading vendors to follow suit".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×