Privacy has become one of the biggest concerns of our day, although I am sure it is something we prefer not to think too much about. Today, everyone carries their main weak point in their pocket: their smartphone.
Recently, in September 2020, Google found 16 alarmingly widespread applications that contained malware called Joker. Not only does Joker have the ability to steal all of your SMS text message history, contacts, and other smartphone data, but it can also silently enroll you in premium wireless app protocol services. This is a typical case of fraud, but there are different types of privacy leaks that we are hardly aware of.
96% responded that they will continue to use an app even when a violation is discovered.
Most of the leaks come from simple use of the app. Inevitably, we have to send data to applications to gain access or enable some form of convenience. According to a recent survey, 96% of voters said they will continue to use an app even when a violation is discovered.
Another type is the leak in the device. We are increasingly storing sensitive personal data, banking and financial information, as well as biometric data (including our fingerprints and faces) in our pockets. Leaks can easily occur when you lose your phone or simply lend it to someone else. This has inevitably led the industry to better protect our smartphones and data in recent years. These developments include hardware-based secure processing elements such as Google’s Titan-M security chip, Apple’s Secure Enclave, and TrustZone within Arm’s CPUs.
Another simple but serious leak is identity theft. According to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network database, more than 444,000 cases were reported in 2018 alone. Bad actors frequently engage in credit card fraud, tax fraud, and telephone / utility fraud to take consumers for all they are worth and then make them pay the bill. The main entry point for many of these cases? Mobile devices.
While the risks have apparently never been greater, the tech industry also has more innovative security solutions than ever.
Smartphone operating systems keep security one step ahead
Much of the privacy protection currently falls not on regulatory groups, but on corporate policies and user behavior. Fortunately, the mobile industry takes privacy concerns very seriously. Android, as the most widely used smartphone software, is of great importance in protecting privacy and takes action at the operating system level.
Android 11, in particular, has brought a number of updates to the scene that fortify your phone against invasion of privacy. With Android 11, users got access to things like the unique permissions and scope storage app. Permissions are now also automatically reset on apps that haven’t been used in a few months, preventing bad actors from injecting permissions into your app and then using them nefariously at a later date.
See also: Android 11 improves privacy – here’s how you can make it even better
Background location access has been made more granular, allowing users to choose when and how applications can collect location information. Developers have also received best practices for complying with Android 11 standards that encourage explaining to users why they are granting various permissions. Foreground services, which can include things like camera and microphone data in addition to location data, now differ from background services in a way that gives users more control over an application’s access to it. information.
Android 11 has brought a number of updates that fortify your phone against invasion of privacy.
Finally, package visibility also changes the way applications interact with other applications, creating a manifest of interactions that can then be used to hold developers accountable and increase transparency for end users.
All of this to say, it’s clear that Google and the Android team are keeping an eye on privacy as they continue to roll out new software releases and security updates.
However, these are solutions that work for everyone. The Android ecosystem is unique because there are simply so many hardware and software creators involved in creating the landscape.
Many Android OEMs have done great work to improve the privacy situation of smartphone users. Examples include Xiaomi’s privacy playbook, which clearly states what is being requested and where your information is stored, and Huawei’s EMUI, which can hide notes and even images. Third-party applications are also increasingly using fingerprint capabilities. OPPO, as an important player on the march to the international market, brings its solutions with its Android skin, ColorOS.
Further with ColorOS
OPPO has analyzed the privacy challenges that users face in the modern era, studied the measures coming to Android 11, and chose to take these privacy strategies to another level. Certified by the strictest ISO and ePrivacy certificates, OPPO manages to encrypt user information while storing and transmitting.
In addition to receiving all the security that Android 11 provides, OPPO device owners also enjoy increased protection thanks to the changes introduced in ColorOS 11.
Right off the bat, ColorOS gives users better tools to easily manage their own privacy. OPPO’s private system allows you to create a virtual copy of your system with all your applications and data intact. This system is independent of the original system and can be locked behind fingerprint verification or a PIN code. Whether you are operating in the standard or private system, you can still have access to all your applications and will continue to receive notifications regardless of which system is currently active.
Another tool in the ColorOS toolbox is a private safe, which is self explanatory. This vault provides additional encryption for private files and photos that cannot be accessed through third-party applications. It is also useful for protecting yourself from prying eyes in case someone else comes to possess your phone.
Indian users also have access to DocVault, a secure and dedicated environment for things like certificates and personal documents. Previously, you may have worried about doing something like scanning your driver’s license or vehicle registration on your smartphone, but with a secure environment for these types of files to be kept, they are always safe and easy to find. This can make navigating something like an airport check-in or a traffic police inspection much less stressful, as you’ll never be without digital copies of crucial documents again.
ColorOS 11 puts control back in your hands with App Lock.
Historically, the security of an application depended mainly on the security measures that its developer chose to integrate. Banking applications, for example, may or may not require user authentication for each individual user. ColorOS 11 puts that control back in your hands with the App Lock option. Now you can easily choose which applications require a fingerprint or PIN code before they can be launched.
The tools are good, but how about protecting yourself from things you might not expect? ColorOS also comes with a variety of passive security measures that are active whether you choose to activate them or not. (Of course they can be disabled or adjusted through settings, but why would you?)
For example, ColorOS provides personal information protection by using an additional dialog pop-up window that allows you to choose not to submit user data each time an application requests it. If you refuse to send such data, the system works with applications designed to force the submission of user data by sending a blank data format to the application. In this way, the application continues to function as intended without the need to sacrifice valuable private information.
Permissions have always been difficult to manage on smartphones. Users simply have too many apps with too many varied permissions to present them in a clear and concise manner. At least, that’s the typical problem. ColorOS has tackled this transparency issue head-on with its permission management system, a clear display of all the accesses you are signing to applications where you can allow or deny access to different types of data with ease.
Payment protection provides an additional layer of security when exchanging money through mobile APIs. ColorOS 11 scans every payment environment it encounters to alert you if something rude or shady is being perpetrated right under your nose.
Altogether, OPPO’s ColorOS brings everything we love about Android 11’s privacy initiative to your smartphone, but then goes a step further by putting more control in your hands, granting you access to a higher level of privacy permission transparency. apps and help you safely store private data right out of the box.
