PrivacyBreacher: An App That Visualizes All the Privacy Problems in Android

The idea that Android is a sieve is nothing new. In addition to connecting to the mother ship for various reasons, most apps request permissions that are completely unnecessary for their basic operation, which increases the potential for data leaks. However, recent versions of the operating system allow an app to access multiple aspects of the mobile device and its daily use without asking for any permission at all. The PrivacyBreacher app serves as a proof of concept to expose this problem, in the hope that Google will fix it in the future.

The Mountain View giant offers a mini tutorial in its support section for managing and/or changing app permissions on Android. The text is easy to follow, but it carries two asterisks: some options only work on Android 10 or later (the Android 11 beta launches today), and their availability varies from device to device (depending on what the manufacturer has decided). In other words, the experience is limited and unsatisfying.Google support page

But beyond what an app may or may not request, the truth is that Android already hands over too much information even without specific permissions. Unless they serve a related function, apps don't need to know when the phone screen turns on or off, or when we plug in the charger, or what our mobile data usage has been. The open source PrivacyBreacher app, created by the developer group DataBurn, helps us see everything that is exposed on Android without asking for permission.PrivacyBreacher DataBurn

PrivacyBreacher: See What Android Leaks, Even Without Permissions

The app has a very simple interface with just three buttons: Activity Monitor, Phone Activity Monitor, and Phone Info. The first demonstrates an app's rapid access to all of the mobile device's sensors, measuring speed, direction, and angles, thus enabling a possible '3D visualization' of the user's hands and body.

The second button presents device events, such as the aforementioned connection to a charger, or the creation of a physical link to a computer via USB. Finally, Phone Info shows us the complete list of installed apps, mobile and WiFi data used since the device started, the smartphone's uptime, and the combination of name, brand, manufacturer, and build date and time.

Once again, PrivacyBreacher can do all this without requesting permissions. Its developers acknowledge that some of those points have already been blocked in Android 10, but the rest is still there. The only issue is that PrivacyBreacher only works on Android 9 or higher, meaning less than 11 percent of active devices. One thing is certain: Google needs to strengthen and expand permission control, while also blocking access to low-level elements. Of course, not all apps are malicious, but it's also not logical to grant the benefit of the doubt so easily.

Download via Play Store: Click here

GitHub profile: Click here