Inspector General for the Protection of Personal Data warns against mobile applications that can make us unconsciously share personal data of ours, or someone else. The most dangerous are mobile payments, which may enable third persons to rather easily reach information about bank account or card number. While installing mobile applications, most often we are interested only with a final effect. We do not pay any attention to what kind of personal data are transmitted outside – notices Wojciech Wiewiórowski, Inspector General for the Protection of Personal Data.
In mobile devices, we often accumulate significant data, which can be then unconsciously moved, e.g. while connecting to a computer. This particular problem is most alarming in the case of persons of public trust. When a solicitor synchronizes his iPad with a drive computer in his car, he not only synchronizes his music, which he intended to use, but also his calendar and a list of his clients. As a result, everyone using this drive computer, e.g. a car service worker, will reach this calendar or a list of the clients of a particular solicitor, or legal advisor – says Wojciech Wiewiórowski.
The Inspector also pays attention to the importance of reading conditions while downloading an application. If we are not cautious enough, then with such device we can send information about all of our activity to the numerous people around the world. It is also about the security of our money, data and health condition, as well as insurances – he emphasizes.
When we share our data for the first time, it is then hard to be undone. The agreement for processing data can be canceled, however such action will not be very effective. Once we agree that company A, which will receive our data, can share them with other companies that cooperates with it, then after few seconds data can be already located in thousands of other databases, rub by thousands of other administrators. As a matter of fact, canceling our agreement for all this companies will be just impossible – warns Wojciech Wiewiórowski.