Over the years, considerable effort has gone into making the Android permission model more user-friendly, and most Android users today reflexively disregard requests for camera, microphone, contact, or location permissions. However, there is one category that users forget about — network activity.
Apps don’t need to request your location or contact information to create a profile on you. By monitoring your network activity, apps can learn your online hours, which services you use, and how much data you consume. Android tries to limit access to this information, but there are some permissions that provide insights into your network usage.
This article will examine some of the more concerning Android permissions and what data they allow applications to collect. It will also discuss how the use of a trusted Android VPN can limit this data collection.
Network Activity Permissions
The Android permission used most often in connection with network activity is ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE. This permission is used to determine if an Android device has an active Wi-Fi network connection, if data is being transmitted over a mobile connection, or if the Android device is not connected to the internet at all.
At first, this might not appear to be a problematic permission to grant; many applications require the knowledge of a user being online in order to fetch content. This information can, however, be used for analytics, advertisements, and even behavioral tracking.
Another commonly requested permission is INTERNET. Most Android apps request this permission because it allows apps to send and receive information from remote servers. While this permission doesn’t compromise your network statistics but combined with other permissions by itself, apps can send collected data to developers, advertisers, and analysts.
PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS is the most concerning permission. This privilege allows the app to collect detailed statistics about user behavior, including network statistics. This is made possible by the use of the Android NetworkStatsManager API. In certain cases, this could allow the app to analyze network data consumption along with device behavior.
Unlike standard permissions, the Usage Access permission is granted through Android’s Special App Access settings, meaning that many users are likely unaware of actually granting this permission.
Why Apps Require Access to Network Information
Developers often argue that requesting access to network data is vital for the app to function. In certain cases, this may actually be true.
For example, streaming apps may need to determine the quality of the connection. Cloud apps may need to know the availability of data. Messaging apps may need to check for a connection.
Unfortunately, there are many other cases where this data is requested for less user-friendly purposes.
Advertising SDKs need network statistics to refine user targeting. Analytics services need this data to analyze user engagement and in-app behavior. Some apps even combine this data with device identifiers to enrich data collection.
Studies show that the majority of Android users grant permissions without properly evaluating the consequences, which makes permission requests and privacy a persistent issue.
How to Check Your Android Permissions
If you are worried about privacy and data collection via networks, take a look at the permissions your apps are using from your device.
Go to:
Settings → Apps → Special App Access → Usage Access
Focus on apps that seem to have no reason for needing access to Usage Stats. Battery monitors, launchers, parental controls, and some security apps may need access. Casual games and random tools should not need this permission.
You should check the permissions of each app and ask the following: “Do apps need permission to use the internet and network in order to perform their primary function?”
If the answer is no, uninstall and find a more privacy-conscious app.
How VPNs Fit In
A VPN cannot stop an app from seeing permissions you already granted. If you give an app Usage Access, it will have access to the information that Android allows.
What VPNs can do is limit what network information can be seen.
When you use a VPN, your internet traffic is encrypted before it leaves your device. Because of this, internet service providers, Wi-Fi that you access in public, and a bunch of other third parties will not be able to see your browsing and what you are connected to.
A VPN also hides your IP address. This will make your network data less location-specific. For Android users who have to use public Wi-Fi, this will reduce the risk of their online activities being exposed.
Protecting Privacy With Permission Control
With Android, privacy is in your control like never before, but those controls only work if they are used.
Regularly check what permissions you’ve granted and remove access from applications that don’t need it. Be smart about special permissions. Each and every permission request should have a clear reason.
While a VPN alone won’t protect your privacy, combined with careful permission management, it can prevent most of your online activities from being exposed.
The more data is collected, the more that can be harvested.
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