An 18-month study shows that Android users who download and install free apps end up paying in compromised privacy and security.
An audit of 1.7 million apps in the Android Market, recently renamed Google Play, found that free apps were more than four times as likely to access contact lists as paid apps that had the same functions, British tech blog the Register reported.
The study, conducted by networking company Juniper Networks, also found that 24 percent of free apps tracked location data, compared to 6 percent of paid ones.
