Mobile app permissions awareness

Abstract

When asked about permissions to download apps most, if not all, of us have been guilty of clicking the "agree" button without considering permission risks. To be honest the only way to download the app is by agreeing to "all" permissions since there is no option for partial permissions. Many popular Android apps including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, Twitter, and Instagram get user permissions during installation. These permissions include recording with the phone audio and video at any time, calling contacts without additional permissions, and modifying the USB storage contents. Lack of education and awareness about permissions may have significant negative consequences. This research evaluates effectiveness of a demo app with visual ques to increase permissions awareness and avoid negative consequences.