Source: Al Roeya
Two Types of Applications
Information technology expert Sami Abdalnour said there are two types of these applications: fake ones and those that work to some extent. Fake applications are designed for fraud. When person A tries to locate person B, the application may ask for a credit card to pay for the search, exposing the user to theft, or downloading the fake application may itself lead to the user's device being hacked.
He said: “Malware developers package their programs in different forms, including this kind of application, because they know that a substantial group of people is curious. Some exploit emotions with advertisements such as: ‘Find out whether your partner is cheating. Locate them now.’”
He noted that the second type, which works to some extent, includes different programs, such as directory-based services. These may show an address, but not a live location—that is, the person's actual position at the time of the search. They may show only a country or city.
He explained that neither type is useful for this purpose. A person's location can be established in three ways. First, authorities can find someone under the law. Second, a phone's own management service, such as a phone-finding tool, requires the device's Google or iCloud account and can be used to locate the person or children lawfully. Third, hacking, which is unethical and illegal, requires particular skills beyond those of ordinary users and cannot be accomplished with the applications being advertised.
Asked about the number of these applications, Sami Abdalnour said: “Applications distributed outside approved stores cannot be counted. At present, however, there are around 254 active applications on Google Play, around 178 on Huawei's store, and only 10 on iPhone because of Apple's strict oversight. These numbers change when applications breach the stores' terms and standards.”
He continued: “I would also like to warn that some of these and other applications are produced by foreign intelligence agencies and target countries, ethnicities and religions, such as Arabs, Muslims and countries in the region. One example was the incident uncovered at the start of this year involving applications that targeted users through prayer times and other Islamic matters.”
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