Banned Android App Clean Master Still Collecting s' Private Data 27344b Report

Cheetah Mobile’s Clean Master was removed from Google Play in 2018. 2w6r4w

By Abhik Sengupta | Updated: 4 March 2020 14:26 IST

Banned Android App Clean Master Still Collecting s' Private Data: Report

Photo Credit: YouTube/ Cheetah Mobile 2f196q

Google never officially revealed why it removed Clean Master

Highlights

Clean Master app was ed over a billion times before 2018
The app was removed for being allegedly involved in ad fraud scheme
New report says the app collects private browsing data

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Nearly two years after Clean Master, an app promising antivirus protection and private browsing was removed from Google's Play Store, a new report has claimed that the app might be still causing trouble for its past and present s. The app that was developed by Cheetah Mobile, a Chinese Internet company, was removed from Google Play in 2018 after it was found that the app was allegedly involved in ad fraud schemes. At its peak, Clean Master was a quite popular app with over a billion s and it can be assumed that the app is still present on millions of smartphones.

According to a CM Browser, CM Launcher and Security Master — apps with millions of s have been also snooping into s' data, the report added citing a researcher at a cybersecurity company.

The report revealed that s' data such as browsing history, search engine queries, Wi-Fi access point names, and even scrolling patterns were collected by the app. This was even highlighted in an article by VPN Pro, a cybersecurity guidance website, which claimed that apps such as Clean Master was collecting "dangerous information" of the s and need to be uninstalled.

Cheetah Mobile's response to allegations 2n356q

At the time when Cheetah Mobile was levelled with ad fraud allegations, the Chinese company had denied its apps could falsely claim ad clicks for profit. Amid the latest allegations, the company told Forbes that it is (emphasis ours) collecting s' Web traffic and other data, "but is doing so largely for security reasons".

"For instance, it's monitoring Internet browsing to ensure the websites s are visiting aren't dangerous. It's also doing so to provide certain services like suggesting recent trending searches," the report added citing Cheetah Mobile's response.

The company also said that it is accessing Wi-Fi network names to prevent s from ing malicious Wi-Fi networks.

Meanwhile, multiple security experts told Forbes that there are much more secure ways to collect data for a better experience. Graham Cluley, a security analyst said such data collection was "clearly a concern."

"There are ways for a security firm to check for threats without having to collect so much information, which could potentially be used to lessen s' privacy," Cluley added.

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