Enhancing User Privacy on Android Mobile Devices via Permissions Removal

Abstract

Android mobile devices are becoming a popular alternative to computers. The rise in the number of tasks performed on mobile devices means sensitive information is stored on the devices. Consequently, Android devices are a potential vector for criminal exploitation. Existing research on enhancing user privacy on Android devices can generally be classified as Android modifications. These solutions often require operating system modifications, which significantly reduce their potential.

This research proposes the use of permissions removal, wherein a reverse engineering process is used to remove an app’s permission to a resource. The repackaged app will run on all devices the original app supported. Our findings that are based on a study of seven popular social networking apps for Android mobile devices indicate that the difficulty of permissions removal may vary between types of permissions and how well-integrated a permission is within an app.

Keywords: Android mobile devices, Android privacy, mobile privacy, permissions removal

JEL Classification: C88, C89, K42, K49