Comparing android app permissions

Abstract

With increasingly more apps added to the Google Play Store, the security of those apps is a concern. Users cannot sort apps based on their expected permissions. An interface was designed that allows users to specify their ideal permissions for an app. The ideal permissions are used to evaluate a list of apps based on proximity to that ideal. Apps are presented to indicate greater or less security using cues of color and presentation order. A survey was conducted to see whether the interface discouraged users from downloading an app that requires many permissions when compared to information provided by the Google Play Store. Most users showed significant concern towards their mobile app security, with 50 % of the users responding to the interface with greater concern over the app requiring many permissions. The research concludes that increasing user awareness of security increases user selection of more secure apps.