[Swordmaker]

Android Phone Apps listening for sub-audible sound signals can start monitoring user’s activities and then reporting said garnered privacy violating data back to servers run by the App authors for advertising data purposes. . . or perhaps other more malicious purposes. NOT GOOD. PING for your list member’s awareness.

[arthurus]

Yet another confirmation that getting rid of the TV 39 years ago was a good idea.

[LegendHasIt]

Sweet! Ain’t technology cool?!?!?!

[Fai Mao]

Of course, if you don’t have a smart phone then ........

There is maybe once or twice a year that I wish I had a mobile phone. But that is made up for the rest of time I enjoy not having one

[Fresh Wind]

These “academics” claim to have uncovered 234 Android apps using uXDT (ultrasonic tracking technology).

They have apparently refused to release the list of those apps.

Why not? Fear of lawsuits? Fishing for research grants? Or is this just FUD to begin with?

Has there been a recent outbreak of dogs howling at the TV during commercials? I recall in my younger days being able to hear ultrasonic burglar alarms and traffic light controllers. Can younger humans hear these beacons (said to be 18-20 kHz)?

And why in the world would anybody want to have a KrispyKreme or McDonald’s app on their phone?

[null and void]

;

At no point in history has any government ever wanted its people to be defenseless for any good reason ~ nully's son

The biggest killer of mankind

Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!

To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...

Somebody's watching me

[ßuddaßudd]

putting a McDs and KK app on my phone?
seriesly now,,

[ThunderSleeps]

Tracking software - ANDROID PING!
Android Ping! If you want on or off the Android Ping List, Freepmail me.

---

My take: it seems there is tracking software out there that can be incorporated into apps you may legitimately want on your phone. These tracking features may pick up location, other activity on the phone, monitor audio through the mic or video via the camera. The tracking code is apparently cooperatively activated by retailers with subsonic or ultrasonic beacons?

Hmm, Google already seems to know everything about me, not sure there's much else to learn. Note to advertisers and companies that publish apps: I find out you've incorporated this software into an app I have, I'm deleting that app, same day, never coming back.

For now, I'd recommend a couple of security precautions on this. One, completely close apps when not in use, don't let them run in the background. Two, avoid "quick and dirty" sole-use apps. For example, my car dealership has an app to "connect" me with them. A local pizza place does too. Or our local TV news station... All these cheesy little apps are just the kinds of places this kind of tracking software make lurk.

[Buckeye McFrog]

They have alleged that multinational corporations such as Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s have fitted the snooping software within apps.

And I'm going to download the Krispy Kreme app to my phone WHY, exactly?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

DIE, CORPORATE SCUM!!!

PING!

[minnesota_bound]

Does Windows 10 do this? I bet it is baked in.

[sauropod]

Words fail me.