If you own an Android phone, there's a small chance that you've downloaded an app with some questionable advertising tactics. Now, mobile security firm Lookout is naming and shaming the ad networks involved.
Lookout's definition of adware includes any of the following behaviors: collecting personal information in an unusual manner, displaying ads outside of the app itself, or performing unexpected actions when the user taps on an ad.
According to Lookout, the ad networks that engage in one or more of these practices are LeadBolt, Moolah Media, RevMob, sellAring, and SendDroid.
Unexpected behavior from apps can be the most vexing. Some ad networks, for instance, show ads inside the Android notification bar, while others place unwanted icons on the Android home screen or unwanted bookmarks in the user's web browser.
This type of sketchy behavior has been around for years, so it's all the more frustrating that it's still allowed in the Google Play Store.
What's worse is that some of the ad networks who rely on these tactics make it tricky to stop receiving ad spam, even if the original app is uninstalled.LeadBolt, SendDroid, and AirPush(which was not mentioned in Lookout's report) require users to install a separate opt-out app or manually enter their device's unique IMEI and MEID numbers on a website. RevMob requires users to opt out of ad emails through links at the bottom of the message.
[Related: Most Android threats would be blocked if phones ran latest Android version, report says]
Google Play security tips
Lookout claims that 6.5 percent of Google Play apps contain one of the adware types described above. The firm estimates that more than one million American Android users have downloaded adware in the past year, and that the odds of new Lookout users having adware on their device is 0.9 percent. (I'd imagine that this figure skews higher than the overall base of Android users, as users of Lookout may download the app specifically to solve an adware problem.)
To avoid adware in Google Play, users should be most cautious with "Personalization" apps, such as those that download ringtones and wallpapers to the phone, 26 percent of which contain adware according to Lookout. Racing games and sports games also carry a relatively high risk, with 23 percent and 18 percent, respectively, containing adware.
It's always a good idea to check user reviews on an unfamiliar app for complaints about adware, and to read the app description itself, as some developers will be up-front about the intrusive ads in their apps.
Of course, you can always download Lookout's security app or adware scanner to help root out those shady ad networks as well, which may well be why Lookout is interested in the topic.