Billions of Android and iPhone users warned to delete apps now over ‘spying concerns’ – experts issue 3 steps to privacy
CYBERSECURITY experts have issued a warning over apps that use their location features to spy on you.
Whether you use Android or iPhone, it's worth checking all your apps and the permissions you've given them.
According to a new post from Stan Kaminsky, a security expert at , some apps can track us via geolocation.
Geolocation is just the process of using digital data processed online to determine where somebody is.
The Kaspersky post states: "Weather apps and other seemingly harmless programs you use on day-to-day basis do it systematically.
"What we suggest everyone should do is one simple yet important thing: minimize the number of apps that have access to your location.
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"After all, you can choose a place manually to get a weather forecast, and entering a delivery address when shopping online is not that big a deal."
It's not necessarily harmful for an app to collect your data but sometimes personal information can be leaked so it's worth being selective about who you give it to.
Go through your apps and change their permissions if you think they're accessing your location when they don't need to.
You may also want to delete some apps that request access to a suspicious amount of features on your phone.
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Some scam apps want camera and location access even though the service they claim to provide shouldn't require those features.
If you want to be extra cautious, Kaspersky has three pieces of advice for you.
Kaminsky wrote in his Kaspersky post: "Those of you who want to prevent their location from being logged anywhere should take several extra protective steps."
The first piece of advice is disable every location service apart from GPS on your phone.
Secondly, Kaminsky suggests using advanced tools to block your phone from accessing a feature called SUPL (Secure User Plane Location).
The route to blocking this will differ depending on your phone brand but sometimes it involves adding a firewall.
Kaminsky's last piece of advice is the most extreme but possibly most affective.
He says: "It’s best to avoid using cellphones… altogether!
"Even if you do all of the above, the mobile operator still knows your approximate location at any time."