The report from S-Mobile that knocks application security for the Android operating system has received its fair share of criticism, including some comments from Google. The report from Columbus, Ohio-based S-Mobile, claims that around 20% of the 50 000-plus apps in the Android operating system market allow third-party software access to on-phone data, meaning that the information could used maliciously by hackers. The report, however, has stirred up a bit on controversy on IT news sites, while prompting a stern rebuke from Google as well. “This report falsely suggests that Android users don’t have control over which apps access their data”, a Google spokesperson told Infosecurity via an e-mail statement. “Not only must each Android app get users’ permission to access sensitive information, but developers must also go through billing background checks to confirm their real identities, and we will disable any apps that are found to be malicious.”

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