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The IOC admits that it transfers data to third parties, but does not disclose the full extent of the problem.
Researchers have discovered an alarming trend: mobile apps created for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris collect significantly more personal information from users than officially stated. Experts carefully studied 12 Android apps that will be popular among the guests of the Olympics, and revealed a number of alarming facts.
The official app of the Olympic Games in Paris, already installed more than 10 million times, is positioned as an indispensable assistant for fans. It provides the competition schedule, latest news, results of medal competitions and a lot of other useful information.
But there is a caveat. The program tracks the user's exact location, uses the camera, records audio, reads and modifies media files on the device. Moreover, it is able to analyze the history of web search and transmit this information to advertisers.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) openly admits that it collects personal data to create user profiles. This information is then shared with giants like Facebook, Google, Apple, and X (formerly Twitter).
However, the official app of the Olympiad is not the only one that raises concerns. Bonjour RATP, a Paris-based navigation app with more than 10 million installations, was found to be the most "voracious" in terms of data. It collects 18 out of 38 possible types of information and shares most of them with third parties.
TheFork, Europe's leading restaurant booking platform, collects 15 types of data. Citymapper, another urban transport app with more than 10 million downloads — 14 types (although in this case, advertising is not mentioned among the stated goals).
According to Cybernews experts, some services request potentially dangerous permissions, even if they claim that they do not collect any data. For example, the Stakeholder Experience & Access Tool (S. E. A. T.) asks for permissions to read and write to external storage, work with contacts, and calendar. Even PinQuest, a game for testing knowledge about the Olympics, for some reason requires access to the camera and files.
The researchers warn that if you install all 12 analyzed applications, they will be able to get 24 types of data out of 38 possible ones. According to the developers, the programs do not collect information about health, race and ethnicity, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, SMS, photos or audio recordings, files, contacts, and other similar categories.
However, the reality is different. The researchers found three other apps that request permission to determine the exact latitude and longitude: Paris 2024 Olympics, Paris 2024 Public Transport, and Paris 2024 Transport Accred.
Researcher Mantas Kasilauskis explains: "Location data is really essential for functions such as navigating Olympic venues, event location information, and personalized recommendations. They may remain only on the device. However, if the app is hacked, users may be exposed to both digital and physical threats."
Experts advise fans to pay close attention to the requested permissions, provide only the most necessary minimum, and regularly check the privacy settings on their devices. We also recommend deleting unused apps to minimize the risk of leaks.
Source
Researchers have discovered an alarming trend: mobile apps created for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris collect significantly more personal information from users than officially stated. Experts carefully studied 12 Android apps that will be popular among the guests of the Olympics, and revealed a number of alarming facts.
The official app of the Olympic Games in Paris, already installed more than 10 million times, is positioned as an indispensable assistant for fans. It provides the competition schedule, latest news, results of medal competitions and a lot of other useful information.
But there is a caveat. The program tracks the user's exact location, uses the camera, records audio, reads and modifies media files on the device. Moreover, it is able to analyze the history of web search and transmit this information to advertisers.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) openly admits that it collects personal data to create user profiles. This information is then shared with giants like Facebook, Google, Apple, and X (formerly Twitter).
However, the official app of the Olympiad is not the only one that raises concerns. Bonjour RATP, a Paris-based navigation app with more than 10 million installations, was found to be the most "voracious" in terms of data. It collects 18 out of 38 possible types of information and shares most of them with third parties.
TheFork, Europe's leading restaurant booking platform, collects 15 types of data. Citymapper, another urban transport app with more than 10 million downloads — 14 types (although in this case, advertising is not mentioned among the stated goals).
According to Cybernews experts, some services request potentially dangerous permissions, even if they claim that they do not collect any data. For example, the Stakeholder Experience & Access Tool (S. E. A. T.) asks for permissions to read and write to external storage, work with contacts, and calendar. Even PinQuest, a game for testing knowledge about the Olympics, for some reason requires access to the camera and files.
The researchers warn that if you install all 12 analyzed applications, they will be able to get 24 types of data out of 38 possible ones. According to the developers, the programs do not collect information about health, race and ethnicity, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, SMS, photos or audio recordings, files, contacts, and other similar categories.
However, the reality is different. The researchers found three other apps that request permission to determine the exact latitude and longitude: Paris 2024 Olympics, Paris 2024 Public Transport, and Paris 2024 Transport Accred.
Researcher Mantas Kasilauskis explains: "Location data is really essential for functions such as navigating Olympic venues, event location information, and personalized recommendations. They may remain only on the device. However, if the app is hacked, users may be exposed to both digital and physical threats."
Experts advise fans to pay close attention to the requested permissions, provide only the most necessary minimum, and regularly check the privacy settings on their devices. We also recommend deleting unused apps to minimize the risk of leaks.
Source
