Apps can track: privacy tips and checks

Dr Kim Le, child and adolescent psychiatrist, explains why protecting children’s privacy is really important

Martha (mother of 3) gives her view on why we should care

• A brief summary of these risks (.docx / .pdf)
• For more detail (.docx / .pdf)

Martha explains what information is being collected

• A brief summary of these steps (.docx / .pdf)
• For more detail (.docx / .pdf)

Martha explains three steps to take

• A brief summary on talking to 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13-15 and 16-18 year olds (.docx / .pdf)
• For more detail (.docx / .pdf)

Martha explains how to talk to your 3-5 year old

ACCM, in partnership with AppCensus (USA), has developed a parent-friendly privacy check for the most popular Android apps played by children in Australia. We apply these checks to each of the current Top 50 children's apps (tested in Australia), and will continue to update this list regularly.

The meaning and significance of the data gathered through these checks needs some explanation, so we recommend that you look at our guides here:

• A brief guide to the AppCensus privacy analyses (.docx / .pdf)
• Finding privacy-protective apps using AppCensus (Powerpoint .pptx)
• AppCensus co-founder, Dr Serge Egelman, explains the importance of the AppCensus system (.docx / .pdf)

• Dr Serge Egelman - Won't Somebody Think of the Children?! Examining Privacy Behaviors of Mobile Apps at Scale, Digital Media and Developing Minds National Congress, 17 October 2018
• Irwin Reyes*, Primal Wijesekera, Joel Reardon, Amit Elazari Bar On, Abbas Razaghpanah, NarseoVallina-Rodriguez, and Serge Egelman. "Won't somebody think of the children?" Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies; 2018 (3):63–83Irwin
• ACCC releases commissioned research on 1000 apps in Australia.
• App access requests aren’t necessarily about invading your privacy, but they come with risks