Inexpensive, unpatched phones put billions of users’ privacy at risk

Inexpensive, unpatched phones put billions of users’ privacy at risk

5 years ago
Anonymous $JavybBYWR5

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/10/inexpensive-unpatched-phones-put-billions-of-users-privacy-at-risk/

Privacy, it seems, is increasingly a luxury reserved for those who can afford it. "Free" services are rarely free, and in the 21st century, the adage seems to be that if you aren't paying with your money, you're paying with your personal data. But while a user at the higher ends of the income scale can afford to be choosy with both their cash and their privacy, users of the cheap, mostly Android-based smartphones that dominate the market worldwide are bearing the burden.

Apple's iPhone might be the single most popular device line among US consumers, but the iPhone's high-end cachet comes with a matching price tag. Likewise, a premium flagship Android phone, such as a new Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy device, runs in the $500 to $1000 range.

Inexpensive, unpatched phones put billions of users’ privacy at risk

Oct 7, 2019, 8:23pm UTC
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/10/inexpensive-unpatched-phones-put-billions-of-users-privacy-at-risk/ > Privacy, it seems, is increasingly a luxury reserved for those who can afford it. "Free" services are rarely free, and in the 21st century, the adage seems to be that if you aren't paying with your money, you're paying with your personal data. But while a user at the higher ends of the income scale can afford to be choosy with both their cash and their privacy, users of the cheap, mostly Android-based smartphones that dominate the market worldwide are bearing the burden. > Apple's iPhone might be the single most popular device line among US consumers, but the iPhone's high-end cachet comes with a matching price tag. Likewise, a premium flagship Android phone, such as a new Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy device, runs in the $500 to $1000 range.