Android P will prevent apps from quietly hijacking your camera

The threat of someone hijacking your phone’s camera to spy on you unawares is sometimes overstated, but it’s definitely a possibility. Enough so, in fact, that Google is determined to do something about it. Recently discovered code submissions show that Android P should prevent idle apps from using both the camera and microphone. If an inactive program tries to use the camera, Android should shut it off and give you an error message. With the microphone, it’s somewhat different: it’ll allow recording but report empty data until the app is active. Malware wouldn’t get away with recording in the background, but legitimate apps like a voice chat client (which stays active) shouldn’t have an issue.

Google hasn’t even announced Android P, so it could be a while before you hear about these measures in any formal capacity (provided they make the cut). However, its engineers aren’t shy about the goal: this is designed to “protect user privacy.” Creeps and spies couldn’t just trick you into installing an app that records you without permission — they’d have to either find a way to fool Android or change its system-level behavior. We’d be loathe to presume this will make stealthy snooping impossible, but it’ll definitely require more work.

Via: XDA Developers, 9to5Google, Mobile Syrup

Source: AOSP (1), (2)

Post Author: martin

Martin is an enthusiastic programmer, a webdeveloper and a young entrepreneur. He is intereted into computers for a long time. In the age of 10 he has programmed his first website and since then he has been working on web technologies until now. He is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of BriefNews.eu and PCHealthBoost.info Online Magazines. His colleagues appreciate him as a passionate workhorse, a fan of new technologies, an eternal optimist and a dreamer, but especially the soul of the team for whom he can do anything in the world.

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