The official app of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Summer Games in Paris, which opened on Friday, is recommended as a personal companion to the tournament with schedules, news, medal results as well as information about events and qualifying games. It has already been downloaded more than ten million times. But the software is curious and data-hungry. It collects user data such as browsing history, email addresses, devices used and other IDs and sends this data to advertisers.
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It goes out An analysis by Lithuanian IT security company CyberNews out. At the same time, she warns: the app “requires a number of dangerous permissions”, which enable the operator to access the “darkest secrets” kept on the smartphone. The requested permissions include precise location tracking, camera and audio recording, reading photos and videos, changing audio settings, and even access to high-sampling rate sensors that can be used to record user activity and movements in detail. With the personal data collected by the app, a very comprehensive user profile can be created.
If the provider uses all of these permissions, the app will theoretically launch automatically after the phone restarts and run in the background to track the exact location. Other features include monitoring nearby Bluetooth devices and accessing personal information, including network and Wi-Fi connection details. The app is theoretically able to prevent the phone from going into sleep mode, which will drain the battery faster. The application can also use the Internet connection for its own purposes, such as sending notifications and independently connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots.
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Conditional data access does not mean it will be abused or used. Mobile operating systems also have protective features such as notifying users when the camera or microphone is in use. However, the sheer number of permissions creates “some warning signs” for researchers. In its privacy policy, the IOC only confirms that personal information is shared with Facebook, Google and X.
The IOC told CyberNews that the official Olympic app for the Summer Games was designed with the aim of “providing fans with the best possible experience.” “If necessary, users will be prompted for consent for certain features.” The app also has an audio commentary function where users can listen. The IOC assured: “This is a library importing code that does not collect data or store cookies.”
Use of public transport is strictly monitored
The IOC’s mobile phone program is one of twelve Android apps highly relevant to the Games in the French capital that the CyberNews team has investigated. According to the results, many of them also pay little attention to protecting users’ privacy. According to the researchers, the Bonjour RATP app for using public transport in Paris and the surrounding area turned out to be the most data-hungry. It uses 18 out of 38 possible data points and sends most of them to third parties. Bonjour RATP not only collects precise location data for its own functionality, but also shares it with other parties for advertising, fraud prevention and security purposes. The app also has more than ten million downloads on Android.
According to the report, Europe’s leading restaurant booking platform, TheFork-App, collects 15 data points and shares almost all of them with third parties. The Citymapper app, which aims to navigate urban traffic, collects 14 data points. The “Public Transport Paris 2024” apps require about ten data points. Even PinQuest, a game designed to test Olympic knowledge, asks for permission to access the camera and saved files, even though it claims not to collect user data. The most commonly used dangerous permission that seven apps asked for was storage access. This makes it possible to check and modify files, including external media such as SD cards. The “My2022” app, which is mandatory for athletes, has already caused unrest at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. German participants must install this software only on mobile phones specifically provided for this purpose.
(DS)
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