Privacy Leakage in Mobile Computing: Tools, Methods, and Characteristics

TL;DR

This paper surveys the current landscape of privacy risks and data leakage issues in mobile computing, highlighting methods and research aimed at mitigating these privacy concerns.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of privacy leakage characteristics, tools, and methods in mobile computing, and discusses ongoing research to reduce privacy risks.

Findings

Mobile devices are increasingly vulnerable to privacy leaks.

Various tools and methods exist to detect and prevent privacy leakage.

Ongoing research aims to improve privacy protection in mobile environments.

Abstract

The number of smartphones, tablets, sensors, and connected wearable devices are rapidly increasing. Today, in many parts of the globe, the penetration of mobile computers has overtaken the number of traditional personal computers. This trend and the always-on nature of these devices have resulted in increasing concerns over the intrusive nature of these devices and the privacy risks that they impose on users or those associated with them. In this paper, we survey the current state of the art on mobile computing research, focusing on privacy risks and data leakage effects. We then discuss a number of methods, recommendations, and ongoing research in limiting the privacy leakages and associated risks by mobile computing.