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:

Identify Ad-Modules

2021-03-25

Exodus (4.4@784) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Video Walk-Through 6/2018; Vorstellung 5/2019; IzzyOnDroid 6/2019
Goclean-Popup Ad detector,Hidden Apps detector (4.1@3,575) 19 11
Anti Adware (3.9@19,262) Ǥ 7 7 LastUpdate: 2018-06-19
AppBrain Ad Detector (3.9@10,612) Ǥ 6 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Intro 9/2018; also lists Social SDKs and developer toolkits; scan engine (database) is still updated even if the app was not
AirPush Detector (3.8@42,618) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2013-07-22
Addons Detector (3.8@8,362) Ǥ 9 1 Review 2/2018
TrustGo Ad Detector (3.7@11,451) 2 LastUpdate: 2015-01-02
Ad Detector (2.1@2,940) 2 1 LastUpdate: 2013-07-11
ClassyShark3xodus - Scan apps for warnings (0@0) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
TrackerControl (0@0) 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / TrackerControl ’Slim’ – Privacy made easy (4.9@35) 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / TrackerControl (0@0) 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Intro 11/2019 | 8/2020; find and (except slim) block / Github

Privacy-Checker

2021-03-25

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

Microphone Block Free -Anti malware & Anti spyware (4.7@5,660) Ǥ 8 2 LastUpdate: 2019-04-04 / Microphone Block Pro - Anti spyware & Anti malware (4.1@736; ~EUR 8.00) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2018-10-31
Camera Blocker - Anti Spyware (4.6@6,384) Ǥ 4 1 LastUpdate: 2018-02-01 / Camera Block Pro - Anti malware & Anti spyware app (4.7@1,618; ~EUR 8.00) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ blocks camera access
Message Spy Remover (Anti Spy) (4.4@1,044) 7 2
Exodus (4.4@784) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Video Walk-Through 6/2018; Vorstellung 5/2019; IzzyOnDroid 6/2019
Spyware Detector - Anti Spy Privacy Scanner (4.3@48,922) Ǥ 11 6
McAfee App Advisor (4.3@762) Ǥ 22 3 LastUpdate: 2016-12-31 what does it need those perms for?
Defenx Privacy Advisor (4.3@6) Ǥ 10 1 LastUpdate: 2017-07-24
[ROOT] Privacy Assistant (4.3@6) 9 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-07-14
PrivacyProxy (4.2@22) Ǥ 10 1 LastUpdate: 2018-05-24 giving you control of what information is sent out from your device
Anti Spy Mobile Free (4.1@20,656) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Anti Spy Mobile PRO (4.2@1,578; ~EUR 5.00) Ǥ 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ AppThread@XDA-Forum
Privacy Scanner (AntiSpy) Free (4.1@1,837) 1 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Privacy Scanner (AntiSpy) Pro (3.7@88) Ǥ 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
Anti Spy (SpyWare Removal) (4.1@1,756) 3 2
tSpyChecker (4.1@1,740) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2017-03-27
Cameraless - Camera Blocker (4@6,926) Ǥ 14 3 blocks camera access
NoSpy MyPhone: Anti Spy (4@588) 11 LastUpdate: 2015-09-29
Privacy Guard (4@192) Ǥ 6 1 LastUpdate: 2019-09-14
Anti Spy for Paranoids (4@169) 3 2
MyPermissions Privacy Cleaner (3.9@6,152) Ǥ 9 6 LastUpdate: 2019-04-07 Intro 3/2016; alarms you as soon as an app accesses your private data (but not before)
Hidden Apps Detector - spyware finder (3.9@2,987) 5 3
Anti Spy Detector Free (3.9@223) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Anti Spy Detector Pro (3.6@25; ~EUR 2.00) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
SpyCamBlocker Free (beta) (3.9@197) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2014-03-14 Disables camera access
Androlyzer - Privacy Scanner (3.8@85) 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 (3.6@207) 15 3
Clueful Privacy Advisor (3.5@79) 4 LastUpdate: 2017-05-17 shows potential risks, but excludes its own from the lists
Warden (0@0) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ GitLab; Vorstellung 7/2020; tracker checker and nuker; needs root (to nuke)
Vigilante (0@0) 6 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; alerts you when an app accesses camera or microphone

Other Sniffer-Detectors

2021-03-26

CrappaLinks (5@1) 2 LastUpdate: 2014-10-05 Video Review 4/2014; Kurzvorstellung 10/2014; Github; Remove link masking/tracking from various apps
Privacy Indicators - iOS14 recording indicators (4.6@108) 1 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; notifies you when an app accesses camera or microphone
Beacon Scope (4.4@33) 7 1
Scam Apps Detector (4.3@8) 2 3 LastUpdate: 2017-05-11
WireTap Detection (Anti Spy) (4.2@6,208) 9 2
HttpCanary — HTTP Sniffer/Capture/Analysis (4.1@5,102) Ǥ 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / HttpCanary (Premium) (3.6@708; ~EUR 6.00) Ǥ 6 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ User Manual
Cell Spy Catcher (Anti Spy) (4.1@3,118) 9 2 detect Stingray Cell Phone Trackers („IMSI catchers“)
WireTap and Spy Removal (4.1@2,951) 11 2 Needs your location to detect wiretaps?
Fake Hotspot Detector -AntiSpy (4.1@282) 12 2
Skewy - anti eavesdropping (4.1@28) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; prevent eavesdropping and ultrasonic access of your smart phone
GSM Spy Finder (4@2,914) Ǥ 14 26 detect Stingray Cell Phone Trackers („IMSI catchers“), but spies itself (see included trackers)
Beacon Monitor (4@6) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2018-01-23
SpyWare Removal (Anti Spy) (3.9@648) 3 2
Wi-Fi Privacy Police (3.8@1,203) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2016-10-08 Github; Vorstellung 1/2015; protects against WiFi tracking
Beacon Scanner (3.8@454) Ǥ 8 3 check whether a place is bugged with Bluetooth beacons
SnoopSnitch (3.7@3,698) 16 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Intro 1/2015 | 4/2015; Vorstellung 2015 | 4/2018; Video Demo 11/2016; Mike’s favorite; detect Stingray Cell Phone Trackers and missing security patches
[root] Pry-Fi (3.4@336) 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

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
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
Checkliste: Apps richtig beurteilen
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
Android Security: How to Stay Private With Your Phone (6/2020)
Wie im Internet Geld verdient wird – Markt und Macht der Werbebranche (2/2020)
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? (4/2019)
App-Werbung: Betrug mit verdeckten Videos (3/2019)
Podcast Tracking: Ein Tag im Internet - welche Spuren hinterlasse ich (2/2019)
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)
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)
Zu Hülf: Meine App spioniert mich aus! (6/2018)
Werbe-ID ändern: So verwischen Sie Ihre Spuren (5/2018-7/2020)
App-Module (SDKs): So tracken Apps ihre Nutzer (5/2017-11/2018)
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)
App AGB: Diese Vertragsklauseln sind unzulässig (6/2017)
Schnüffel-Module in Apps: Das können Sie tun (5/2017 - 1/2019)
Tracking im Internet: Cookies, Cache & Co (3/2017)
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)
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)
Free Apps May Be Tracking Your Phone Without Your Consent (5/2015)
Privatsphäre auf dem Smartphone: So schützt Ihr Eure Daten (4/2015 - 3/2019)
Invisible Infrastructures : Online Trackers (3/2015)
The Android Apps That Collect the Most Data on You (12/2014)
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)
Apps sammeln immer aggressiver Nutzerdaten (2/2014; Article smells of BitDefender-Promo; so better "ignore/neutralize" the advertized products)
Studie: Kostenlose Apps verbrauchen bis zu 75 % der Energie für Werbung (3/2012)

2021-04-11

IzzyOnDroid