Regresar

Metrics based on permission groups to understand the impact of Android apps on privacy

Abstract:

Android is the most widespread operating systems for mobile devices. The Android permission system controls what apps are permitted to access device data and resources. To get access, apps must request permissions. Our proposal aims to obtain a user-friendly metric for device owners that provides them with guidance on the privacy risk they take when they install an app on their device. The metric is based on permissions. As a relevant novelty compared to previous proposals, we propose to use permission groups as one of its parameters. Permission groups express concepts that are more accessible to users than individual permissions. Moreover, what users really grant are groups. We thus introduce the criterion of usability.