Covid19 and Smart Phone Data Harvesting

[PatMacGroin]

I've never been one to bother much with video calls. Obviously, over the past few weeks that has changed a lot. Everyone wants to use video calling apps like House Party, Hangouts, Zoom or whatever.

As I'm installing these apps onto my phone or tablet a number of permission notifications pop up. The two that I have noticed the most say something like:

Give this app permission to record from your microphone - Yes / No?
Give this app permission to record from your camera - Yes / No?

If you don't say yes the app wont work.

My memory may be failing me, but I could have sworn the permission questions were different when I installed similar apps in the past. I have a memory of apps like WhatsApp, which includes a video calling function, having permission questions like:

Give this app permission to use/access your microphone - Yes / No?
Give this app permission to use/access your camera - Yes / No?

Have you noticed the difference between the language of using or accessing versus recording? The permission requests definitely do say record now, which suggests to me like they keep copies of the video and audio. But does anyone know if it's just my imagination that they used to be more passive?

NB: Before anyone says it. This is not meant to be the start of a conspiracy theory. I am not suggesting that the tech companies some how triggered the virus so that they could harvest more data from us. I am wondering if they have been one of the quickest to capitalise on it to their benefit.

[Steve2]

It may be a new option. In the latest Iphone update there is now a feature to record what is on your screen as a video so you can record any video calls like Whatsapp etc

[daviemac]

I think it's something that you need to ask the providers, to find out if it's your device you are giving permission to or if you are giving a third party permission to record remotely.

I would imagine you are giving the app permission to access the functions on the phone that it need to use in order to work.

[jeanphillipe]

Every app must now seek permisions to access hardware or contact lists or location data  or storage etc

Help prevent rogue apps from doing so. E.g why does flashlight app need access to you contacts.

Certain apps wont switch on as its a minimum function for it to access certain parts of your phone.

[winkywanky]

WhatsApp (inc. the videocall function) seems pretty secure. Of course it needs access to you microphone and camera to achieve this. And it's well encrypted?

But I don't think I'd allow an App to RECORD stuff I say or listen to/watch. That's a step too far for me personally.

[lostandfound]

IMO they most likely always did it, probably when they were trying to make their platform work, and then they decided, oops, maybe we need to ask about this.

[PatMacGroin]

I was aware that apps need to get your permission to access or use certain data or functions within your phone. Not sure when that started, but I have noticed it for atleast a year or two. Whenever I install a new app, and sometimes when an update for an older app includes new features.

It just seemed like the permissions requests had moved from asking permission to use or access stuff onto asking for permission to record stuff.

I hadn't considered that it could just be a new feature on some apps, allowing you to keep copies of your video conversations. Or that the recordings may only get stored on the phone. Something about it made me assume that I was giving the app developers permission to keep recordings transferred to them via the cloud etc.

I did try looking at my phone settings to verify the details of what the app is allowed do with the data/features it accesses. I have a Samsung android phone, looking in Settings > Apps > App Permissions it just tells me for example "Camera - 10 of 50 apps allowed". But noting that specifies what it's allowed to do with that camera, e.g. "Use", "Access", "Record", "Transmit" etc. If I go to the app permissions for a specific app, such as WhatsApp it just lists icons representing those features with a simple on or off switch. No menu option producing detailed information about what that permission covers.

Thanks for your replies. I have since had a look through the zoom website as an example. It has lots of details about how to record video meetings, where the recordings are stored and how participants are also prompted for permission if any member tries to use the record feature.

[PatMacGroin]

I'll admit, I was feeling a bit suspicious about the whole thing. I recently saw a documentary about Amazon. How they monitor the microphone recordings from Alexa and the Video recordings from the Ring doorbell and security systems. Using "passive listening" to analyse user behaviour and make marketing predictions, even targeted advertising.

I've also read some articles about how modern computing systems can feed images, sounds and video through machine learning programmes to improve AI responses. It occurred to me that with the huge increase in video calls over the past couple of months, all that raw data would be a treasure trove to companies developing that kind of AI and machine learning. If they were allowed access to it.