Mobile permissions: How your smartphone sold you out
Mobile apps are those delightful little spies we willingly invite into our pockets. Sure, they promise convenience, entertainment, or maybe just a way to kill time, but their real business model? Hoovering up your data like a Roomba on steroids. The Great Permission Heist Terms of Service & Privacy Policies are not agreements—they’re hostage notes written in legalese. The average Privacy Policy is 2,518 words long (because transparency is best served as an unreadable wall of text). Reading all the policies for your installed apps would take 16 hours—or roughly the time it takes to regret your life choices. “Free” apps are the worst offenders. They’re not free—you’re just paying in personal data instead of cash. Pre-installed apps are the ultimate betrayal. Your carrier forces them on you (looking at you, Serbian media apps), and you can’t even delete them. Net neutrality? More like net absurdity. “But why do they need all these permissions?” Great question! Here’s what your apps really do with them: ...