The Latest in IT Security

Security firm AVG on Tuesday updated its PrivacyFix security app for Android devices to include mobile location tracking features that would prevent stores and advertisers to track users by monitoring their Wi-Fi connectivity habits. According to Forbes, the app, which also allows users to manage privacy settings across websites, will henceforward block Android devices from transmitting their MAC address when their owners are out and about, by blocking Wi-Fi access to untrusted hotspots. The feature will effectively turn off the Wi-Fi of Android devices, thus preventing third-parties from collecting location data. AVG’s vice president of privacy products believes that this kind of tracking should be turned off until retailers adopt “meaningful standards” of transparency and offer users clear choices of