The Repository @ St. Cloud State

Open Access Knowledge and Scholarship

Date of Award

5-2020

Culminating Project Type

Starred Paper

Degree Name

Information Assurance: M.S.

Department

Information Assurance and Information Systems

College

Herberger School of Business

First Advisor

Abdullah Abu Hussein

Second Advisor

Hazem Farra

Third Advisor

Akalanka Bandara Mailewa

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Keywords and Subject Headings

Digital Privacy, Social Media, Personal Information, Mobile Apps

Abstract

Mobile devices offer users a constant connection to information and entertainment. Our society has become hyperconnected. We have unprecedented access to information at any time of the day. Mobile devices have the potential to make people more efficient and productive or more distracted and negatively influenced. The use of applications or apps on mobile devices brings with them unparalleled access to intimate information about the users of mobile devices. Corporations have been quick to provide apps that make life easier for, or entertain, the end-users. But the entertainment and access come at a price. That price is incredibly detailed information about the users, and it is being used and sold on the internet. Companies are requiring users to allow mobile applications access to far more detailed information than is necessary, and the end-user is unaware of just what the price they are paying is. This paper will explore the permissions that mobile apps request, a company’s terms of service, and third-party relationships to determine if software manufacturers are honest with their stated permissions or if apps are overreaching in their efforts to collect information about their users. An examination of application permissions and analysis of the data transmissions to and from the device on behalf of the application will be performed. This work aims to provide users with more insight into how to protect their confidential data and to improve users’ perception of privacy.

Comments/Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my committee, Dr. Abdullah Abu Hussein, Professor Hazem Farra, and Professor Akalanka Mailewa, for their time and input on this project. I also want to thank my wife and children for their patience and support.

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