A review and survey on smartphones: The closest enemy to privacy

Smartphones have changed the world from a primitive to a high-tech standpoint. However, there have been many incidents where third parties have used confidential data of the users without their consent. Thus, it causes people to be paranoid and distrustful of their smartphones, never knowing which application threatens to expose them. In this paper, we have conducted an in-depth review of the significance of smartphones in human life, and we have discussed the methods used by various authorities to collect and exploit users’ data for enigmatic benefits. Moreover, we surveyed the smartphone users to identify the vulnerabilities leading to privacy violation, and to examine their knowledge about the protection mechanisms. We determined that Technology and Human are the two major vulnerabilities that are exploited to invade users’ privacy. It is the necessity of the moment for the researchers and developers to formulate solutions that could be used to educate and protect smartphone users from potential threats and exploitation of data