Mobile devices offer users a constant connection to information and entertainment. Our society has become hyperconnected. We have unprecedented access to information at any time of the day. Mobile devices have the potential to make people more efficient and productive or more distracted and negatively influenced. The use of applications or apps on mobile devices brings with them unparalleled access to intimate information about the users of mobile devices. Corporations have been quick to provide apps that make life easier for, or entertain, the end-users. But the entertainment and access come at a price. That price is incredibly detailed information about the users, and it is being used and sold on the internet. Companies are requiring users to allow mobile applications access to far more detailed information than is necessary, and the end-user is unaware of just what the price they are paying is. This paper will explore the permissions that mobile apps request, a company’s terms of service, and third-party relationships to determine if software manufacturers are honest with their stated permissions or if apps are overreaching in their efforts to collect information about their users. An examination of application permissions and analysis of the data transmissions to and from the device on behalf of the application will be performed. This work aims to provide users with more insight into how to protect their confidential data and to improve users’ perception of privacy
