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48 ‘tracking’ apps that you need to uninstall right now

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A rather shocking report by Buzzfeed has exposed a multi-million dollar scam that is being controlled by a network of shell companies in eastern Europe. These companies were using a front called We Purchase Apps to acquire Android apps from their developers and soon gained control over 125 apps available on Google Play Store. According to data from AppBrain, the combined downloads of these Android apps are 115 million and the app among these 125 that has the most downloads is EverythingMe Launcher. Going by what cybersecurity firm Protected Media has to say, these apps tracked user behaviour and then used this information to model a massive network of botnets that pretended to be human users. Their network of bots even bypassed the fraud detection tools that are used by advertisers and Google to stay away from scams like these. By doing this, We Purchase Apps was able to show a huge user base of the apps to advertisers – which led them to make $700 million to $800 million in the first quarter of the year alone.

Buzzfeed has provided the list of apps and websites that have been affected to Google, and the company’s independent analysis confirmed the presence of botnet driven traffic. The technology giant has so far deleted over 30 of these apps from Google Play Store. Google has also said that it had removed 10 apps in the scheme and blocked a number of websites even before Buzzfeed contacted them. Investigations are being carried on at Google regarding this matter. Till all of these mobile apps that are tracking user behaviour are removed, you must uninstall them from your smartphone immediately.

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Here’s a list of apps that, according to Buzzfeed, are tracking the behaviour of its users:

EverythingMe Launcher

Number of downloads: 10,000,000+

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Google Play Store link: EverythingMe Launcher

Dropwords and Dropwords PRO

Number of downloads:

Dropwords: 5,000,000+

Dropwords PRO: 10,000+

Google Play Store links: Dropwords

Dropwords PRO

Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 and Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 Pro

Number of downloads:

Muscle Drift Simulator 2018: 1,000,000+

Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 Pro: 100+

Google Play Store links: Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 

Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 Pro

Carry Over The Hill and Carry Over The Hill – Space

Number of downloads:

Carry Over The Hill: 1,000,000+

Carry Over The Hill: Space: 500,000+

Google Play Store links: Carry Over The Hill

Carry Over The Hill – Space

Guess the Restaurant Quiz – Logo Trivia Game

Number of downloads: 1,000,000+

Google Play Store link: Guess the Restaurant Quiz – Logo Trivia Game

Pix UI Icon Pack 2 – Free Pixel Icon Pack

Number of downloads: 1,000,000+

Google Play Store link: Pix UI Icon Pack 2 – Free Pixel Icon Pack

Smart Voice Assistant

Number of downloads: 1,000,000+

Google Play Store link: Smart Voice Assistant

Split Pic 2.0 – Clone Yourself

Number of downloads: 1,000,000+

Google Play Store link: Split Pic 2.0 – Clone Yourself

Twist Your Fingers!

Number of downloads: 1,000,000+

Google Play Store link: Twist Your Fingers!

Crossword Solver and Crosswords Solver Pro

Number of downloads:

Crossword Solver: 500,000+

Crosswords Solver Pro: 5.6 million

Google Play Store links: Crossword Solver

Crosswords Solver Pro

Cat Rescue PRO and Cat Rescue Puzzles

Number of downloads:

Cat Rescue PRO: 100+

Cat Rescue Puzzles: 500,000+

Google Play Store links: Cat Rescue PRO

Cat Rescue Puzzles

Grumpy Weather Widget

Number of downloads: 500,000+

Google Play Store link: Grumpy Jumpy Cat

Smart Riddles

Number of downloads: 500,000+

Google Play Store link: Smart Riddles

Teen Truth or Dare

Number of downloads: 500,000+

Google Play Store link: Teen Truth or Dare

Traffic Hour

Number of downloads: 500,000+

Google Play Store link: Traffic Hour

Word Search Free

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Word Search Free

Guess the Game Icon Quiz

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Guess the Game Icon Quiz

Iconic – Guess Character Quiz – Pics Trivia Game

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Iconic – Guess Character Quiz – Pics Trivia Game

Kids Truth and Dare

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Kids Truth and Dare

Photo Editor – Pencil Sketch

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Photo Editor – Pencil Sketch

Self Help Books

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Self Help Books 

Basketball Throw

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Basketball Throw

Copter Escape FREE

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Copter Escape FREE

Fit It Puzzles: Tangram Style Puzzles

Number of downloads: 100,000+

Google Play Store link: Fit It Puzzles: Tangram Style Puzzles

Gluten Free Food Finder and Gluten Free Food Finder PRO

Number of downloads:

Gluten Free Food Finder: 100,000+

Gluten Free Food Finder PRO: 100+

Google Play Store links: Gluten Free Food Finder

Gluten Free Food Finder PRO

Call Blocker

Number of downloads: 10,000+

Google Play Store link: Call Blocker 

Dots and Boxes

Number of downloads: 10,000+

Google Play Store link: Dots and Boxes

Hide image, video of Whatsapp

Number of downloads: 10,000+

Google Play Store link: Hide image, video of Whatsapp

Track My Shows

Number of downloads: 10,000+

Google Play Store link: Track My Shows

Word Search Movies

Number of downloads: 10,000+

Google Play Store link: Word Search Movies

Minesweeper Professional

Number of downloads: 5,000+

Google Play Store link: Minesweeper Professional

Call Analytics: Detailed Call Logger + SMS History

Number of downloads: 1,000+

Google Play Store link: Call Analytics: Detailed Call Logger + SMS History

Expense Manager

Number of downloads: 1,000+

Google Play Store link: Expense Manager

Sports Balls Crash

Number of downloads: 500+

Google Play Store link: Sports Balls Crash

FuTorrent Pro

Number of downloads: 500+

Google Play Store link: FuTorrent Pro

Grumpy Jumpy Cat

Number of downloads: 100+

Google Play Store link: Grumpy Jumpy Cat

Lazy Alarm

Number of downloads: 100+

Google Play Store link: Lazy Alarm

Restaurant Finder Pro

Number of downloads: 100+

Google Play Store link: Restaurant Finder Pro

Crazy Frog Multiplayer Game

Number of downloads: 10+

Google Play Store link: Crazy Frog Multiplayer Game

Pop Face – try for free! addictive and fun game!

Number of downloads: 10+

Google Play Store link: Pop Face – try for free! addictive and fun game!

Bottle Roulette

Number of downloads: 10+

Google Play Store link: Bottle Roulette

Bottle Escape

Number of downloads: 1+

Google Play Store link: Bottle Escape

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