Investigating User Privacy in Android Ad Libraries

Recent years have witnessed incredible growth in the popularity and prevalence of smart phones. A flourishing mobile application market has evolved to provide users with additional functionality such as interacting with social networks, games, and more. Mobile applications may have a direct purchasing cost or be free but ad-supported. Unlike in-browser ads, the privacy implications of ads in Android applications has not been thoroughly explored. The authors start by comparing the similarities and differences of in-browser ads and in-app ads. They examine the effect on user privacy of thirteen popular Android ad providers by reviewing their use of permissions.