BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Companies may be using data from your phone's apps to track your habits and monetize your information. Here's how to find out what's happening on your device.
When the software on my iPhone recently updated, I went through the new features and stumbled upon something called the "App Privacy Report." What I found was eye-opening.
Experts say, the report functions as a dashboard, showing which apps are accessing your personal data — and how often. That includes your camera, contacts, location, media library and microphone.
I spoke with Arun Vishwanath, a cybersecurity expert, about what that data access really means.
"It's not that there's a bad guy out there or some hacker out there listening to you. This is basically companies that are using that data at scale. They're monetizing it. So if it's something you said in a call, for instance, or you would record it or some photograph you took...any or all of that can be monitored," Vishwanath said.
WATCH: iPhone privacy report: How to check which apps are tracking you and accessing your data
The App Privacy Report also shows when and how many times each app has accessed your camera, contacts, location, media library and microphone.
"So this is like a dashboard. It's telling you hey, here are all the apps, here's what this app is doing. It's looking at your contact history that you're giving it access to. It's looking at your photographs. You're giving it access to it. Important thing here is you gave it access to it," Vishwanath said.
Here's how to find the report on your iPhone:
- Open Settings
- Scroll down to Privacy & Security
- Scroll down to App Privacy Report
- Tap it, then tap Turn On App Privacy Report
Once enabled, the report will show you which apps are collecting your information. Vishwanath said the key is staying vigilant and checking your settings regularly.
"Every quarter, check your app permission list, right? What permission — this very window that we're looking at — it's a great opportunity to do that, right? Do it every quarter. Every quarter, check to see what apps you've given permission to. What if there are apps out there getting permission to your entire contact list for no other reason? You can take that back. Background data, information about where you are, your location information — that's something most apps don't need access to, and there are different ways to prevent it, right? Apple gives you — even Android gives you — the opportunity to say, well, only use my background when I use the app, or is it all the time? You have to decide that," Vishwanath said.
For parents considering giving their children a phone, Apple allows you to set up a device based on your child's age. With those settings in place, children cannot download apps without your permission, giving you control over what your kids can access — and who can access data about your kids.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
