Dictionary.com app under fire for 'bug fix' update that lets it track users

[dufus]

• Dictionary.com quietly started tracking users' location, phone status and more
• The company first disguised the update as 'bug fixes' 
• Users are deleting the app in favor of alternative dictionary apps

By SAGE LAZZARO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 01:05 BST, 4 August 2017 | UPDATED: 15:56 BST, 4 August 2017

 

Dictionary.com is under fire after updating its its free and premium apps to 'spy' on user's phones.

The new permissions authorize the apps to access your exact location, retrieve running apps, pair with wifi and Bluetooth devices as well as read your phone status and ID. 

It appears the company first disguised the update as 'bug fixes' before eventually being truthful about the updates, which it is believed will help to company sell ads and data about users.

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The new permissions authorize the apps to access your exact location, retrieve running apps, pair with wifi and Bluetooth devices ad well as read your phone status and ID

DICTIONARY.COM IS SPYING ON YOUR PHONE

The new permissions authorize the apps to:

-access your exact location via GPS

-retrieve running apps 

-pair with wifi and Bluetooth devices 

-Read your phone status and ID

 

 

A Reddit user first spotted the issue, and now users are looking to delete the app.

In a discussion in the site's Android subreddit, users speculated why the apps would need to access things like location and bluetooth devices.

They assumed the company is collecting data to sell to advertisers, which was especially concerning to users of the premium version who don't believe they should have to forfeit privacy to use an app they paid for. 

A Dictionary.com spokesperson noted this is indeed a part of the ad program, telling The Daily Mail: 'Knowing our users’ location allows us to enhance certain features, such as our mapping capability, which allows users to see popular lookups from others nearby, in addition to playing a role in improving the ad experience supporting our free apps.'

The company's full statement is below.

Many users are looking for alternative dictionary apps, saying having this one isn't worth giving so much access.

'I only use it for word of the day... Anyone have an alternative they prefer?' wrote one user looking to delete.

'I'd rather use a web site for stuff like this, or a search engine - I don't need offline support enough to use an app that requires way too many permissions,' wrote another.

In a quest to replace Dictionary.com, one user compared all the recommended apps and determined Meriam Webster to be the next best thing. 

In a quest to replace Dictionary.com, one user compared all the recommended apps and determined Meriam Webster to be the next best thing

In May, Google banned an army of Android apps for spying. 

They were using ultrasonic sounds to spy on users without their knowledge.

The ban was after researchers revealed that hundreds of Android applications are embedded with ultrasonic cross-device tracking technology that pick up inaudible 'beacons' emitted from advertisements.

This allowed marketers to create personalized ads based on your interests, as they are able to determine your location and what activities you may be engaged in. 

Google has banned an army of Android apps that use ultrasonic sounds to spy on users without their knowledge (stock image of the Galaxy S8 smartphone) 

HOW YOUR DEVICES COULD BE SPYING ON YOU 

Inaudible signals could be tracking your TV and web surfing habits more closely than ever before.

Researchers revealed that hundreds of Android apps are embedded with ultrasonic cross-device tracking technology that pick up inaudible 'beacons' emitted from advertisements.

This allows marketers to create personalised ads based on your interests, as they are able to determine your location and what activities you may be engaged in.

These signals can be picked up by a range of devices, including phones and TVs.

Signals are sent without the user's permission or knowledge. 

 

 

'A recent practice embeds ultrasonic beacons in audio and tracks them using the microphone on mobile devices,' reads a study from Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany.

'This side channel allows an adversary to identify a user's current location, spy on her TV viewing happens or link together her different mobile devices'.

While conducting their investigation, the team found 234 Android apps were made using the publicly available tracking software.

And these apps were found to listen 'in the background without the user's knowledge'.

The researchers from Braunschweig University of Technology found many of the apps that contain the code were developed for large companies such as McDonald's and Krispy Kreme. 

The app ShopKick, which rewards users with discounts, was found to be one of the spy apps that monitors the user's location.

Instead of tracking the user with the smartphone's GPS it uses the audio beacon emitted from the loudspeakers positioned at the entrance of a store to determine whether the consumer had walked into the store.

Game apps were also found to partake in this 'threat to privacy'.

ZDNET reported that games, such as Pino Henyo, are designed to open a user's smartphone microphone without them knowing and listen for ultrasonic tones.

But Google has now announced that all the apps discovered in the study have been either suspended or updated to meet privacy policies, according to CBS News. 

They added that apps must now ask users' permission in order to use ultrasonic beacons. 

REPORT FINDS 99.9% OF MALWARE TARGETS ANDROIDS 

A shocking 99.9% of malware targets Android devices over Apple phones, a new report has found.

The Internet Society of China and National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center (CNCERT) discovered there has been a 39 per cent increase in malware this year.

And the vast majority of computer bugs are aimed at Android devices.

Experts said Android devices are easier to target as security measures are fragmented and vary from company to company. 

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Read more:

• www.digitaltrend...
• Hundreds of privacy-invading apps are using ultrasonic sounds to track you | ZDNet
• christian.wressn...
• www.wired.com/20...
• Silverpush Quits Creeping World Out, Ceases Tracking TV Habits Via Inaudible 'Beacons'
• Google removes apps that use ultrasonic frequencies to track users - CBS News
• Just a heads up: Dictionary.com recently updated their Privacy Policy, and have quietly added SEVEN new permissions to their free and premium apps (originally under the guise of "Bug Fixes" before editing the changelog days later to include ...

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