Is Smartphone a double-edged sword??

We live in a time where smartphones have become a very essential element in our life. Most people can’t imagine leaving their house without their digital companion and behave as if this mini-computer is glued to their hand most of the time. People are using smartphones to play games, chat with friends, listen to music etc. Smartphones are convenient tools for communication and entertainment. Although smartphones can be very useful, we need to make sure we do not become slaves to them.

Sensors are devices which are used in smartphones to detect various aspects of the environment. They sense data for which they are made and work according to that. There are various sensors which are available nowadays in smartphones which are in-built and help in functioning of the smartphone. Some of the most common sensors found in smartphones include the accelerometer, Bluetooth, GPS, light sensor, microphone, proximity sensor, and WiFi.

Mobile phone manufacturers offer new features and functionalities that have compelled users to use them. The versatility of the mobile phone allows seamless integration of work, fun, social interaction, and enhances the quality of life in many ways.

The smartphone is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it grants us the ability to use apps which can make us more organized, more accessible, and more informed. But on the other hand, it is a potentially strong mechanism of distraction, actually making us less productive.

Apps downloaded in the smartphone are data hungry. On average, social media apps, Cab booking Apps and food delivery apps collect the most data. If you are checking your email on your smartphone, in case of taking service of Gmail, it collects most of the data.

Other types of smartphone data collected include call logs, short message service (SMS) logs, app-use logs, and battery-status logs. Browsers and image editing apps collect the least. The 3 most data-hungry apps are all owned by Facebook: Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.

Your smartphone knows you better than anyone else in the world. It stores and captures all the data and stores somewhere, probably no one knows. You may be shocked to know that when you are talking to someone either over the phone or while your mobile phone is not switched off, then also your phone listens and records all your conversations.

The Aadhar card, PAN card or our banking details which we store in the mobile phone, mostly in the image folder, are also taken and stored by the mobile phone companies. The most important thing is whatever you browse in your mobile phone or do any transactions/communications through various apps, their passwords are copied and stored in your mobile phones which are also copied somewhere else.

Your phone collects all data when you do things like browse the web, stream music, play videos and send emails on the go. Different apps collect different data from your cell phones.

Hence, one must know how to use the smartphone, where to use and where not. What to save and what not to save in the phone is your choice, since your mobile phone tracks you.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA