Ad-/Tracking-Modules and Privacy Checker

That's not only annoying in many cases, but also a general security risk – as ad- and tracking-modules inherit all permissions from their „host-apps“. Moreover, there are other hidden costs of advertisements: with websites, they at best make up 50% of your traffic, in some cases more than 90%! Not to forget that sometimes there are also malicious ads – something Google Ads isn´t safe from either. So what can be done?

Buy apps. Usually, the paid versions do not contain ad-modules (exception: if the paid version is to be used as an addon to the free one; but unfortunately there are also other exceptions).
If there's no paid version (or that contains „sniffers“ as well): think about using an AdBlocker (in most cases, this requires root)
Alternatively, think about using a Firewall or Permission Blocker.
Take your apps exclusively from F-Droid (in my lists they can be identified by the F-Droid Icon). According to a study from 9/2017 this is the only place where neither Adware nor Malware was found (at Google Play they found e.g. ca. 2% Malware)

And if you think it’s only the online shops which are bugged: Nope. In offline stores, secret surveillance tracks your every move as well.

To protect yourself against that, you’ve first got to identify affected apps and places.

I need privacy. Not because my actions are questionable, but because 'your' judgement and intentions are.

And it doesn't matter whether or not my communications are weighty or frivolous in nature - they are mine and only for those whom I've chosen to share them with. Not the government's, nor goog's, nor my ISP's, but mine.

Also, what is legal where I live today, may not be legal tomorrow and my discussion of it may incriminate my future self. It has happened in the past many times to others in other places.

(Kermode)

Identify Ad-Modules

2023-05-17

Exodus (4.3@974) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Video Walk-Through 6/2018; Vorstellung 9/2018 | 5/2019 | 7/2021; IzzyOnDroid 6/2019
AirPush Detector (3.8@42,618) 0 LastUpdate: 2013-07-22
TrustGo Ad Detector (3.7@11,451) 2 LastUpdate: 2015-01-02
AppBrain Ad Detector (3.6@11,161) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2021-08-11 Intro 9/2018; also lists Social SDKs and developer toolkits; scan engine (database) is still updated even if the app was not
Addons Detector (3.6@8,385) Ǥ 8 1 Review 2/2018
Goclean: Popup Ad detector (3@5,308) Ǥ 25 13
Ad Detector (2.1@2,940) 2 1 LastUpdate: 2013-07-11
ClassyShark3xodus - Scan apps for warnings (0@0) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
TrackerControl (0@0) 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / TC Slim – Study app tracking (4.6@268) 9 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / TrackerControl (0@0) 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Intro 11/2019 | 8/2020; find and (except slim) block / Github

Privacy-Checker

2023-05-17

For general privacy-risks, a.o. the following apps watching out:

tSpyChecker (5@1,761) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2017-03-27
Spyware & Malware Detector (4.3@133,285) Ǥ 18 8
Microphone Block Free -Anti ma (4.3@7,135) Ǥ 8 2 LastUpdate: 2019-04-04 / Microphone Block Pro - Anti sp (3.9@796; ~EUR 10.00) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2018-10-31
Camera Block Pro: Anti spyware (4.3@1,831; ~EUR 10.00) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
Exodus (4.3@974) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Video Walk-Through 6/2018; Vorstellung 9/2018 | 5/2019 | 7/2021; IzzyOnDroid 6/2019
Privacy Guard (4.3@205) Ǥ 6 1 LastUpdate: 2019-09-14
Cameraless - Camera Blocker (4.2@8,967) Ǥ 14 3 LastUpdate: 2020-10-29 blocks camera access
Privacy Scanner (AntiSpy) (4.2@160) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Privacy Scanner (AntiSpy) Pro (3.8@98) Ǥ 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
Anti Spy Mobile Basic (4.1@21,274) $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Anti Spy Mobile PRO (4.2@1,649; ~EUR 5.00) Ǥ 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ AppThread@XDA-Forum
Anti Spy (SpyWare Removal) (4.1@1,894) 3 2 LastUpdate: 2020-05-17
Message Spy Remover (Anti Spy) (4.1@1,140) 7 2 LastUpdate: 2020-03-16
Androlyzer - Privacy Scanner (4@84) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2016-11-05 Detection of malware, spyware, trojans and undesired data leaks; see website
Lumen Privacy Monitor (3.9@216) 14 3 LastUpdate: 2020-05-20
SpyCamBlocker (deprecated) (3.9@198) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2014-03-14 Disables camera access
MyPermissions Privacy Cleaner (3.7@6,164) Ǥ 9 7 LastUpdate: 2019-04-07 Intro 3/2016; alarms you as soon as an app accesses your private data (but not before)
Anti Spy for Paranoids (3.7@172) 3 2 LastUpdate: 2020-03-08
Clueful Privacy Advisor (3.5@79) 4 LastUpdate: 2017-05-17 shows potential risks, but excludes its own from the lists
Anti Spy Detector Free (3.2@259) $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Anti Spy Detector Pro (3@24; ~EUR 2.00) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2021-11-03
Hidden Apps (2.8@4,101) 2 3 LastUpdate: 2021-01-04
Warden (0@0) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-07-04 GitLab; Vorstellung 7/2020; tracker checker and nuker; needs root (to nuke)
Vigilante (0@0) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; alerts you when an app accesses camera or microphone

Other Sniffer-Detectors

2023-05-21

CrappaLinks (5@1) 2 LastUpdate: 2014-10-05 Video Review 4/2014; Kurzvorstellung 10/2014; Github; Remove link masking/tracking from various apps
Fake Hotspot Detector -AntiSpy (4.7@327) 12 2 LastUpdate: 2020-04-26
Beacon Scope (4.7@51) 11 1
SpyWare Removal (Anti Spy) (4.4@697) 3 2 LastUpdate: 2020-04-01
Wi-Fi Privacy Police (4.3@1,203) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2016-10-08 Github; protects against WiFi tracking
WireTap Detection (Anti Spy) (4.1@7,004) 9 2 LastUpdate: 2020-03-06
HttpCanary — Capture & Injection Master (4.1@5,102) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-10-28 User Manual
Cell Spy Catcher (Anti Spy) (4@3,432) 9 2 LastUpdate: 2020-03-19 detect Stingray Cell Phone Trackers („IMSI catchers“)
WireTap and Spy Removal (4@3,217) 11 2 LastUpdate: 2020-03-10 Needs your location to detect wiretaps?
Privacy Indicators - iOS14, An (4@274) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2021-07-15 Github; notifies you when an app accesses camera or microphone
Beacon Monitor (4@6) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2018-01-23
Skewy - anti eavesdropping (3.9@87) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; prevent eavesdropping and ultrasonic access of your smart phone
SafeDot : Privacy Dashboard (3.9@85) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; notifies you when an app accesses camera or microphone
Beacon Scanner (3.8@525) Ǥ 8 3 LastUpdate: 2020-01-20 check whether a place is bugged with Bluetooth beacons
SnoopSnitch (3.5@3,962) 16 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Intro 7/2019; Vorstellung 4/2018 | 1/2020; Video Demo 11/2016; Mike’s favorite; detect Stingray Cell Phone Trackers and missing security patches
[root] Pry-Fi (3.3@6,933) Ǥ 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2014-02-17 Vorstellung 2/2014; Intro 2/2014; Test 3/2014; protects against being WiFi-sniffed
Tracker Detect (1.9@3,300) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Intro 12/2021 | 12/2021; Vorstellung 12/2021; protect yourself from Apple's Find My Tracking
CameraDetector (0@0) 9 3 detect candid shooting equipment
AirGuard - AirTag protection (0@0) 13 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Vorstellung 9/2021; protect yourself from Apple's Find My Tracking
Bluetooth Radar (0@0) 17 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; control and monitor Bluetooth and wearable devices around you
LockUp (0@0) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2021-05-12 Github; Cellebrite UFED self-defense app
HideDroid (0@0) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2021-10-19 Github; Vorstellung 10/2021; anonymizes network traffic from analytics modules

Further Readings:

Category Ad-Blocker
Category Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, Anti-Theft
Category App-Locker
Category Permissions
Beware those snooping mods! in the help section
MobilSicher AppCheck
Für Anfänger/Bequeme: Werbung und Tracker unter iOS/Android systemweit verbannen
PrivacyGrade: Grading The Privacy Of Smartphone Apps
Das inoffizielle Android Handbuch: Risiken werbefinanzierter Apps / Privacy / Verbindungsdaten
Privacy settings with Google: Google Settings Is a Super Useful Android App You've Probably Ignored
Why „I´ve got nothing to hide“ is wrong: 7 videos a 15 min by DoNotTrack
Lots of Videos & Podcasts on privacy topics at Privacy International
Checkliste: Apps richtig beurteilen
Mit der App "PCAPdroid" Datenverbindungen aktiver SDKs erkennen
Standort richtig verbergen – so gehen Geheimdienste vor (3/2023)
Android launches yet another way to spy on users with “Privacy Sandbox” beta (2/2023)
Avoid These 3 Types of App if You Care About Privacy (7/2022)
How to Stop Your Android Phone From Tracking You (6/2022)
Alle haben etwas zu verbergen: if you value your privacy, you should avoid using many apps (6/2022)
Achtung, Handy hört mit: Smartphone-Apps als Wanze (3/2022)
How to block and monitor ad trackers on Android (1/2022)
Lobby-Analyse: Google, Facebook & Co. untergraben Verbot "spionierender" Werbung (1/2022)
Tracking durch Identitätsprovider (12/2021)
Bundeskartellamt: Sektoruntersuchung Mobile Apps (8/2021)
How it should be done: New insights into clean analytics (3/2021)
My Phone Was Spying on Me, so I Tracked Down the Surveillants (12/2020)
how data collected by ad modules travels to (un)expected places
App Tracking: Es ist noch viel, viel schlimmer (10/2020)
Android Security: How to Stay Private With Your Phone (6/2020)
Video: Was tut eine App wirklich? How MobilSicher analyses data traffic (2/2020)
Video (~3min): What Is Privacy?
New study: The advertising industry is systematically breaking the law (1/2020)
Datenhandel mit Dating-Apps: Wir Konsumroboter taz.de (1/2020)
How ultrasonic tracking apps may be listening to you and how to block them (10/2019)
Video from CCCamp2019 (~6min): Lightning Talk: Android! Privacy is not a Luxury (8/2019)
IMSI-Catcher: So lassen sich Informationen übers Handynetz abfangen (8/2019)
Wie Apps Sicherheitsmechanismen umgehen: 1 | 2 (8/2019)
Why just checking permissions is insufficient (and you should rather prefer FOSS apps): More than 1,000 Android apps harvest data even after you deny permissions (7/2019)
In Stores, Secret Surveillance Tracks Your Every Move (Bluetooth Beacons; 6/2019)
Alphonso: Smartphone-Apps hören uns legal für Werbung ab (6/2019)
How do tracking companies know what you did last summer? (5/2019)
Was dürfen Eure Android-Apps? Die erschreckende Antwort… (3/2019 - 7/2020)
App-Werbung: Betrug mit verdeckten Videos (3/2019)
Thousands of apps are illegally working around the ad ID (2/2019)
Geschwätzige Android-Apps send detailed data to Facebook (12/2018)
Werbe-Apps: Von nervig bis gefährlich (12/2018 - 1/2020)
I asked an online tracking company for all of my data and here's what I found (11/2018)
Wenn das Smartphone wissen will, was im Fernsehen läuft (11/2018)
Study: Third Party Tracking in the Mobile Ecosystem (PDF; 10/2018)
90% of the investigated 1M Playstore-Apps set up to transfer information back to Google
Now Apps Can Track You Even After You Uninstall Them / Apps kommunizieren mit Nutzern – auch wenn sie deinstalliert sind (10/2018)
Mobile app data sharing 'out of control' (10/2018)
Apps: Datenschutzerklärung vs. tatsächlich gesammelte Daten (9/2018)
Stalkerware: Schutz vor Überwachung ist möglich (7/2018 - 4/2022)
Zu Hülf: Meine App spioniert mich aus! (6/2018)
Werbe-ID ändern: So verwischen Sie Ihre Spuren (5/2018 - 1/2022)
App-Module (SDKs): So tracken Apps ihre Nutzer (5/2017 - 9/2020)
App-Module als Sicherheitsrisiko (4/2018)
Study finds over 3,300 Android apps improperly tracking kids (4/2018)
Android: Facebook-Wanze in vielen Apps (4/2018)
Datenlobby kämpft mit Tracking-Brandbrief gegen ePrivacy (3/2018)
Android: Elegante Lösung gegen WLAN-Tracking (3/2018)
To Avoid Malware, Try the F-Droid App Store (1/2018)
LightsOut und Co.: Android-Adware im Google Play Store (1/2018)
Anyone can buy online ads and track your location in real time (10/2017)
Schnüffel-Module in Apps: Das können Sie tun (5/2017 - 10/2020)
Tracking im Internet: Cookies, Cache & Co (3/2017 - 1/2021)
So bekommen Sie mehr Privatsphäre bei Android (3/2017)
Datenhändler: Wir sind gläsern – Datensammler (Artikelserie, Start 1/2017)
The Terrifying Cost of »Free« Websites (12/2016) Watch this!
Wie im Internet Geld verdient wird – Markt und Macht der Werbebranche (10/2016 - 2/2020)
Warum Datenschutz jeden angeht (und nicht nur diejenigen, die etwas angestellt haben) (7/2016)
Ortsdaten von zwei Apps reichen, um Nutzer zu identifizieren (4/2016)
Tausende Apps scheffeln mit unsichtbarer Werbung Geld (7/2015)
Is Advertising Morally Justifiable? The Importance of Protecting Our Attention (Summary; 7/2015)
Privatsphäre auf dem Smartphone: So schützt Ihr Eure Daten (4/2015 - 1/2020)
Free Apps May Be Tracking Your Phone Without Your Consent (3/2015)
Invisible Infrastructures : Online Trackers (3/2015)
Hallo, Datenkrake! – So formt die Werbeindustrie detaillierte Nutzerprofile 1 | 2 | 3 (7/2014)
2013: Zielgruppenspezifische Malware und der Aufstieg (und Niedergang) von Adware (2/2014)
Die Privatsphäre als Produkt: Datenschutz als Geschäftsmodell (2/2014)
Studie: Kostenlose Apps verbrauchen bis zu 75 % der Energie für Werbung (3/2012)

2023-06-01

IzzyOnDroid