Data breaches keep happening as always, and another one has surfaced today: personal data of more than 31 million users got accidently leaked by some smartphone virtual keyboard program (with once again trendy “AI” in its name) developers. It’s not like common desktop systems are great when it comes to security (just a few days ago there was another major Apple screwup, which gave root access on Macs to anyone, including remote users via RDP), but pocket-sized devices and applications take it to the next level: with those, it is common to barely ask a user before making large chunks of their private data not-so-private – even as intended behaviour.
Web-based servicesapplications for mobile devices (or just “apps” – cool, trendy, short) usually promise to only sell the data to anybody who pays for it, so that must be fine. Occasionally they leak it, of course, but that happens.
As if it wasn’t bad enough, mobile software tends to require permissions to access much more of personal data than one may expect that software to ever need: usually it doesn’t make sense for the problem a program solves, but apparently users got used to it anyway. It was the case here as well, so among the leaked data there are locations, contact books, emails, some social networks data, and other stuff like that. Basically, it was malware even before the leak, but so is every other smartphone (or tablet) program. Well, not literally “every other”: most of them are.
One may think that it’s some sort of informational exhibitionism, but people in general are not as cunning or subtle to do it that way.
It only leaves about one rational explanation: hazing. Apparently the easiest way to socialize these days is to use a pocket-sized computer device with a touchscreen and “apps” on it, so those get used for instant initiation in the form of “activities involving harassment, abuse, or humiliation”. Easy, automated, and builds solidarity.
One may miss the good old days when a poor bastard sitting in a pile of human excrements for initiation at least didn’t compromise bits of others’ private data by leaking their contact book, but the progress is inevitable.