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Diligence Suggested Before Downloading Mobile Apps [Times Record, Fort Smith, Ark. :: ](Times Record (Fort Smith, AR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 23--Mobile apps make playing games, ordering merchandise and checking threatening weather conditions easier done than said, yet some apps might not be ideal or safe for one's mobile device. That cautious sentence comes from Sarah Tacker, Arkansas senior assistant attorney general and head of the AG office's Consumer Protection Program. More than two-thirds of Americans now own a smartphone, which often brings extra convenience to people, but the recent increase in public concern and comments on app safeguards and dangers should be a topic discussed by adults and children, she said. "There are two concerns, with the first being, you don't want to download an app that will install malicious software -- a virus -- to your phone," Tacker said during a recent telephone interview from her Little Rock office. "We recommend that you read the reviews on the app store. A more reputable app will be an app that has been available for a long time. If it's an app that's only been available for 24 hours, then that's a red flag. You're going to want to hold off on that app until it's been around for a longer amount of time." The second -- and equally important -- concern for people is a mobile app's location-tracking and information-gathering methods, Tacker said. Location-tracking apps can "grab" some of an individual's personal information such as phone and email contact lists and text messages, while some apps are able to obtain the person's financial information, she said. "You want to look at the privacy policy the app has -- what information they gather from you, what information they are storing for themselves and what information are they accessing from your phone," Tacker said. "Definitely do the homework before you download an app." Many of the viruses and "scams" involving apps originate from outside of the United States, and often are the result of more than one "bad person" working together, she said. Malicious software often is created by a group of friends or "some type of organization" with the goal of obtaining financial information, Tacker said. "With Apple, you can visit the publisher and see what other apps the publisher has created, and that can help you verify that the company with the app is a reputable company," she said. "The app stores are doing a pretty good job of policing those scam apps, but consumers still need to do their homework before they download. You are potentially giving someone access to your name, location, contacts and, in some cases, your credit card information, among other important information." If an account or personal information is compromised, the individual immediately should contact the app store where the app was downloaded, as well as his or her bank, credit card company and telephone/Internet company, she said. Anyone who thinks his or her information has been compromised or who needs information can call the CPD at (800) 482-8982 or visit gotyourbackarkansas.org. "You can communicate with the publisher through the app store, and there might be a number of steps recommended by those people for contacting others, if your information is compromised," Tacker said. "If it is indeed financial information, make sure your bank and/or credit card company stops payment on those unauthorized payments and transactions." According to a report at www.inferse.com, numerous mobile device users have found the Facebook Messenger app, which allows texting between Facebook friends, to be "offensive." The "permissions" the individual must give the new Facebook Messenger app include identity (find accounts and read the contact card on the device); contacts/calendar; location (approximate and precise location); SMS (edit, receive and read text messages); photos/media/files; camera and microphone (take pictures and video, record audio); and Wi-Fi connection information, the report states. In the report's comments section, some readers voiced concern over the Facebook Messenger app. One person identified as "rockwood610" stated, "I got rid of Facebook apps off my phone over a year ago. These permissions were there even then," while another person identified as "edo" stated, "There are a lot of complex features that require lots of different things to do all the things it does. Typical blind Internet rage from people who have no clue at all how their phones work." Not all apps are "bad," and even a few of the retailer apps that do store some financial information, if approved by the individual, can be used if they are monitored regularly, Tacker said. "If it is a shopping app, they probably are accessing information on financial data and/or your credit card account, and sometimes, if it is known by the person and it's what the person wants, that can be a convenience," she said. "You have to decide to have that relationship and make sure that it's a trusted, secure retailer." These days, more young children are using iPhones and other mobile devices to play games, Tacker said. Parents of children will want to monitor which apps are on a mobile device and, especially in the cases of teenagers, parents will want to download the apps themselves, she said. "Parents will want to make sure that if the app is tracking the location of their children, then it's something that the parents want," Tacker said. "Sometimes that can be a convenience for parents, but then you don't want an app that isn't secure. You don't want someone else to know where your teenager is at 10 p.m. on a Friday." Enforcing a "restricted-access" policy for young children who use mobile devices is one way parents can monitor apps, she said. "Racking up a bunch" of fees from "Candy Crush" and other games is something all parents wish to avoid, Tacker said. "There are a lot of apps we use, and we don't realize that some of them know where we are going," she said. "I got a notification on my phone that my app knew I was in a store. It sent me a notification that there were several coupons for that store I was in, and I was surprised. "Now, again, we're not saying that is always a bad thing," Tacker added. "People just need to read the privacy policy to understand how secure your information is, and make sure that the app is a reputable one." ___ (c)2014 Times Record (Fort Smith, Ark.) 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