In a new Trend Micro blog post, Threat Communications Manager Christopher Budd takes on the indiscriminate collection of data from apps on mobile devices. As a threat defense expert at the global security company, Budd uses the fact that on Data Privacy Day (January 28) the news of the day is latest revelations about alleged NSA data gathering which include collecting data from game apps such as the popular “Angry Birds.”

“These claims hitting on Data Privacy Day should serve as a wake-up call to the deplorable state of privacy on mobile platforms,” said Budd.

Budd suggests that the lesson from this isn’t being aware of NSA data collecting or companies that allow access to data:

“Rather, the lesson is that mobile devices and apps of all kinds are gathering more data than they need, in ways that aren’t clear and doing things with it that most, if not all of us, don’t understand,” said Budd.”Even more importantly, we should be taking this discussion a step further and using it to discuss the coming Internet of Everything (IoE), where these problems will be even more acute.”

Budd suggests that the two key principles of privacy – notice and consent – are not options mobile device users have clear access to:

“For there to be informed consent, clear, understandable notice is required. Otherwise, we face what I’ve called the “Oh Crap! Moment,” as in, “Oh crap! I didn’t realize you were and using it when I agreed to this,” said Budd.

While the loss of privacy by mobile devices’ data collection is a sore point, Budd envisions a time when this problem could blossom in a frightening way as more of the world around us becomes wired and data collection is applied to the “Internet of Everything.” said Budd.

“Even more importantly, we should be taking this discussion a step further and using it to discuss the coming Internet of Everything (IoE) where these problems will be even more acute,” said Budd

“We have a chance to prevent “Oh crap!” moments around the Internet of Everything. But only if we act soon,” said Budd.

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