Android asks too much of phones

Experts have called for a limit to the access third party applications have to Android cellphones to better protect the personal information of consumers.

A large number of third-party applications for Android phones in China have made excessive requests for access permits to the personal information of users, including the contact list, GPS information and photos and videos on the phones, raising concerns of potential harm to the information, China Central Television reported on Sunday.

The issue has also caught the attention of a number of experts on phone security, many of whom also believe that the applications are making excessive access demands.

"Some applications have high demand. Yet they do not have the functions in it to use them," said Peng Dawei, an engineer on cellphone security.

Peng said the open-source feature of the Android system has allowed applications to make the requests to the users, but most applications do not give users an option to deny unless the app is deleted.

The report gave an example of a group-buying application that requires more than 10 categories of permission from the users, including list of contacts, location and phone records.

The problem is common among the more than 700,000 Android applications available in China, and experts believe the only solution lies in an upgrade of the system allowing the users to scrutinize the access permissions given to the applications.