Disaster apps pose privacy risks

Individuals accept giving more information in emergencies, and the tradeoffs between providing emergency help and privacy must be carefully considered. A study of popular disaster apps finds that many apps ignore privacy policies and government agency policies. Twelve of the 14 apps studied capture location immediately on download, and some apps fail to identify all third-party data recipients. Refusing location tracking for one app may be overridden when individuals turn it on for the government disaster app.

Writer: Madolyn Sanfilippo, Yan Shvartzshnaider, Irwin Reyes, Helen Nissenbaum, and Serge Egelman
Publication: SSRN