---
_id: '63834'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>\r\n                  <jats:p>\r\n                    Many
    Android apps collect data from users, and the European Union’s General Data Protection
    Regulation (GDPR) mandates clear disclosures of such data collection. However,
    apps often use third-party code, complicating accurate disclosures. This paper
    investigates how accurately current Android apps fulfill these requirements. In
    this work, we present a multi-layered definition of privacy-related data to correctly
    report data collection in Android apps. We further create a dataset of privacy-sensitive
    data classes that may be used as input by an Android app. This dataset takes into
    account data collected both through the user interface and system APIs. Based
    on this, we implement a semi-automated prototype that detects and labels privacy-related
    data collected by a given Android app. We manually examine the data safety sections
    of 70 Android apps to observe how data collection is reported, identifying instances
    of over- and under-reporting. We compare our prototype’s results with the data
    safety sections of 20 apps revealing reporting discrepancies. Using the results
    from two Messaging and Social Media apps (Signal and Instagram), we discuss how
    app developers under-report and over-report data collection, respectively, and
    identify inaccurately reported data categories. A broader study of 7,500 Android
    apps reveals that apps most frequently collect data that can\r\n                    <jats:italic>partially
    identify</jats:italic>\r\n                    users. Although system APIs consistently
    collect large amounts of privacy-related data, user interfaces exhibit some more
    diverse data collection patterns. A more focused study on various domains of apps
    reveals that the largest fraction of apps collecting personal data belong to the
    domain of\r\n                    <jats:italic>Messaging and Social Media</jats:italic>\r\n
    \                   . Our findings show that location is collected frequently
    by apps, specially from the\r\n                    <jats:italic>E-commerce and
    Shopping</jats:italic>\r\n                    domain. However, it is often under-reported
    in app data safety sections. Our results highlight the need for greater consistency
    in privacy-aware app development and reporting practices.\r\n                  </jats:p>"
article_number: '45'
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Ambuj
  full_name: Kumar Mondal, Ambuj
  last_name: Kumar Mondal
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: Khedkar M, Kumar Mondal A, Bodden E. A study of privacy-related data collected
    by Android apps. <i>Automated Software Engineering</i>. 2026;33(2). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3">10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3</a>
  apa: Khedkar, M., Kumar Mondal, A., &#38; Bodden, E. (2026). A study of privacy-related
    data collected by Android apps. <i>Automated Software Engineering</i>, <i>33</i>(2),
    Article 45. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Khedkar_Kumar Mondal_Bodden_2026, title={A study of privacy-related
    data collected by Android apps}, volume={33}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3">10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3</a>},
    number={245}, journal={Automated Software Engineering}, publisher={Springer Science
    and Business Media LLC}, author={Khedkar, Mugdha and Kumar Mondal, Ambuj and Bodden,
    Eric}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: Khedkar, Mugdha, Ambuj Kumar Mondal, and Eric Bodden. “A Study of Privacy-Related
    Data Collected by Android Apps.” <i>Automated Software Engineering</i> 33, no.
    2 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3</a>.
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, A. Kumar Mondal, and E. Bodden, “A study of privacy-related data
    collected by Android apps,” <i>Automated Software Engineering</i>, vol. 33, no.
    2, Art. no. 45, 2026, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3">10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3</a>.'
  mla: Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “A Study of Privacy-Related Data Collected by Android
    Apps.” <i>Automated Software Engineering</i>, vol. 33, no. 2, 45, Springer Science
    and Business Media LLC, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3">10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3</a>.
  short: M. Khedkar, A. Kumar Mondal, E. Bodden, Automated Software Engineering 33
    (2026).
date_created: 2026-02-02T12:36:22Z
date_updated: 2026-02-11T18:33:12Z
ddc:
- '006'
department:
- _id: '76'
doi: 10.1007/s10515-025-00589-3
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: khedkarm
  date_created: 2026-02-11T18:32:52Z
  date_updated: 2026-02-11T18:32:52Z
  file_id: '64127'
  file_name: s10515-025-00589-3-1.pdf
  file_size: 3363479
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-02-11T18:32:52Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        33'
issue: '2'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Automated Software Engineering
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0928-8910
  - 1573-7535
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: A study of privacy-related data collected by Android apps
type: journal_article
user_id: '88024'
volume: 33
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '64823'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Current legal frameworks enforce that Android developers accurately report
    the data their apps collect. However, large codebases can make this reporting
    challenging. This paper employs an empirical approach to understand developers'
    experience with Google Play Store's Data Safety Section (DSS) form.\r\n\r\nWe
    first survey 41 Android developers to understand how they categorize privacy-related
    data into DSS categories and how confident they feel when completing the DSS form.
    To gain a broader and more detailed view of the challenges developers encounter
    during the process, we complement the survey with an analysis of 172 online developer
    discussions, capturing the perspectives of 642 additional developers. Together,
    these two data sources represent insights from 683 developers.\r\n\r\nOur findings
    reveal that developers often manually classify the privacy-related data their
    apps collect into the data categories defined by Google-or, in some cases, omit
    classification entirely-and rely heavily on existing online resources when completing
    the form. Moreover, developers are generally confident in recognizing the data
    their apps collect, yet they lack confidence in translating this knowledge into
    DSS-compliant disclosures. Key challenges include issues in identifying privacy-relevant
    data to complete the form, limited understanding of the form, and concerns about
    app rejection due to discrepancies with Google's privacy requirements.\r\nThese
    results underscore the need for clearer guidance and more accessible tooling to
    support developers in meeting privacy-aware reporting obligations. "
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Michael
  full_name: Schlichtig, Michael
  id: '32312'
  last_name: Schlichtig
  orcid: 0000-0001-6600-6171
- first_name: Mohamed Aboubakr Mohamed
  full_name: Soliman, Mohamed Aboubakr Mohamed
  id: '102489'
  last_name: Soliman
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M, Schlichtig M, Soliman MAM, Bodden E. Challenges in Android Data
    Disclosure: An Empirical Study. In: <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 13th International
    Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’26). Association
    for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i> ; 2026.'
  apa: 'Khedkar, M., Schlichtig, M., Soliman, M. A. M., &#38; Bodden, E. (2026). Challenges
    in Android Data Disclosure: An Empirical Study. <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM
    13th International Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft
    ’26). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i> 13th
    International Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems 2024, Rio
    de Janeiro, Brazil.'
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Khedkar_Schlichtig_Soliman_Bodden_2026, title={Challenges
    in Android Data Disclosure: An Empirical Study.}, booktitle={Proceedings of the
    IEEE/ACM 13th International Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems
    (MOBILESoft ’26). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68.},
    author={Khedkar, Mugdha and Schlichtig, Michael and Soliman, Mohamed Aboubakr
    Mohamed and Bodden, Eric}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: 'Khedkar, Mugdha, Michael Schlichtig, Mohamed Aboubakr Mohamed Soliman,
    and Eric Bodden. “Challenges in Android Data Disclosure: An Empirical Study.”
    In <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 13th International Conference on Mobile Software
    Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’26). Association for Computing Machinery,
    New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i>, 2026.'
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, M. A. M. Soliman, and E. Bodden, “Challenges in
    Android Data Disclosure: An Empirical Study.,” presented at the 13th International
    Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems 2024, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
    2026.'
  mla: 'Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “Challenges in Android Data Disclosure: An Empirical
    Study.” <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 13th International Conference on Mobile
    Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’26). Association for Computing Machinery,
    New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i>, 2026.'
  short: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, M.A.M. Soliman, E. Bodden, in: Proceedings of
    the IEEE/ACM 13th International Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and
    Systems (MOBILESoft ’26). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA,
    65–68., 2026.'
conference:
  end_date: 2026-04-18
  location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  name: 13th International Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems 2024
  start_date: 2026-04-12
date_created: 2026-03-04T08:10:43Z
date_updated: 2026-03-13T12:10:10Z
department:
- _id: '76'
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2601.20459'
keyword:
- static analysis
- data collection
- data protection
- privacy-aware reporting
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 13th International Conference on Mobile Software
  Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft '26). Association for Computing Machinery, New
  York, NY, USA, 65–68.
status: public
title: 'Challenges in Android Data Disclosure: An Empirical Study.'
type: conference
user_id: '88024'
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '64821'
article_number: '56'
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Michael
  full_name: Schlichtig, Michael
  id: '32312'
  last_name: Schlichtig
  orcid: 0000-0001-6600-6171
- first_name: Nihad
  full_name: Atakishiyev, Nihad
  last_name: Atakishiyev
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M, Schlichtig M, Atakishiyev N, Bodden E. Between Law and Code: Challenges
    and Opportunities for Automating Privacy Assessments. <i>Automated Software Engineering
    </i>. 2026;33(2). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4">10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4</a>'
  apa: 'Khedkar, M., Schlichtig, M., Atakishiyev, N., &#38; Bodden, E. (2026). Between
    Law and Code: Challenges and Opportunities for Automating Privacy Assessments.
    <i>Automated Software Engineering </i>, <i>33</i>(2), Article 56. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Khedkar_Schlichtig_Atakishiyev_Bodden_2026, title={Between Law
    and Code: Challenges and Opportunities for Automating Privacy Assessments}, volume={33},
    DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4">10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4</a>},
    number={256}, journal={Automated Software Engineering }, publisher={Springer US},
    author={Khedkar, Mugdha and Schlichtig, Michael and Atakishiyev, Nihad and Bodden,
    Eric}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: 'Khedkar, Mugdha, Michael Schlichtig, Nihad Atakishiyev, and Eric Bodden.
    “Between Law and Code: Challenges and Opportunities for Automating Privacy Assessments.”
    <i>Automated Software Engineering </i> 33, no. 2 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4</a>.'
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, N. Atakishiyev, and E. Bodden, “Between Law and
    Code: Challenges and Opportunities for Automating Privacy Assessments,” <i>Automated
    Software Engineering </i>, vol. 33, no. 2, Art. no. 56, 2026, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4">10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4</a>.'
  mla: 'Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “Between Law and Code: Challenges and Opportunities
    for Automating Privacy Assessments.” <i>Automated Software Engineering </i>, vol.
    33, no. 2, 56, Springer US, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4">10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4</a>.'
  short: M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, N. Atakishiyev, E. Bodden, Automated Software
    Engineering  33 (2026).
date_created: 2026-03-04T08:03:14Z
date_updated: 2026-03-13T12:10:38Z
department:
- _id: '76'
doi: 10.1007/s10515-026-00601-4
intvolume: '        33'
issue: '2'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: 'Automated Software Engineering '
publication_identifier:
  unknown:
  - 1573-7535
publisher: Springer US
status: public
title: 'Between Law and Code: Challenges and Opportunities for Automating Privacy
  Assessments'
type: journal_article
user_id: '88024'
volume: 33
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '64909'
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Michael
  full_name: Schlichtig, Michael
  id: '32312'
  last_name: Schlichtig
  orcid: 0000-0001-6600-6171
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M, Schlichtig M, Bodden E. Source Code-Driven GDPR Documentation:
    Supporting RoPA with Assessor View. In: <i>IEEE International Conference on Software
    Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026)</i>. ; 2026.'
  apa: 'Khedkar, M., Schlichtig, M., &#38; Bodden, E. (2026). Source Code-Driven GDPR
    Documentation: Supporting RoPA with Assessor View. <i>IEEE International Conference
    on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026)</i>.'
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Khedkar_Schlichtig_Bodden_2026, title={Source Code-Driven
    GDPR Documentation: Supporting RoPA with Assessor View}, booktitle={IEEE International
    Conference on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026)}, author={Khedkar,
    Mugdha and Schlichtig, Michael and Bodden, Eric}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: 'Khedkar, Mugdha, Michael Schlichtig, and Eric Bodden. “Source Code-Driven
    GDPR Documentation: Supporting RoPA with Assessor View.” In <i>IEEE International
    Conference on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026)</i>,
    2026.'
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, and E. Bodden, “Source Code-Driven GDPR Documentation:
    Supporting RoPA with Assessor View,” 2026.'
  mla: 'Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “Source Code-Driven GDPR Documentation: Supporting
    RoPA with Assessor View.” <i>IEEE International Conference on Software Analysis,
    Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026)</i>, 2026.'
  short: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, E. Bodden, in: IEEE International Conference
    on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2026), 2026.'
date_created: 2026-03-13T12:16:09Z
date_updated: 2026-03-13T12:17:01Z
department:
- _id: '76'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- url: https://mugdhak30.github.io/assets/Preprints/RoPA_SANER2026.pdf
publication: IEEE International Conference on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering
  (SANER 2026)
status: public
title: 'Source Code-Driven GDPR Documentation: Supporting RoPA with Assessor View'
type: conference
user_id: '88024'
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '65018'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Android applications collecting data from users must protect it according
    to the current legal frameworks. Such data protection has become even more important
    since in 2018 the European Union rolled out the General Data Protection Regulation
    (GDPR). Since app developers are not legal experts, they find it difficult to
    integrate privacy-aware practices into source code development. Despite these
    legal obligations, developers have limited tool support to reason about data protection
    throughout their app development process.\r\n  This paper explores the use of
    static program slicing and software visualization to analyze privacy-relevant
    data flows in Android apps. We introduce SliceViz, a web tool that analyzes an
    Android app by slicing all privacy-relevant data sources detected in the source
    code on the back-end. It then helps developers by visualizing these privacy-relevant
    program slices.\r\n  We conducted a user study with 12 participants demonstrating
    that SliceViz effectively aids developers in identifying privacy-relevant properties
    in Android apps.\r\n  Our findings indicate that program slicing can be employed
    to identify and reason about privacy-relevant data flows in Android applications.
    With further usability improvements, developers can be better equipped to handle
    privacy-sensitive information."
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Michael
  full_name: Schlichtig, Michael
  id: '32312'
  last_name: Schlichtig
  orcid: 0000-0001-6600-6171
- first_name: Santhosh
  full_name: Mohan, Santhosh
  last_name: Mohan
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: Khedkar M, Schlichtig M, Mohan S, Bodden E. Visualizing Privacy-Relevant Data
    Flows in Android Applications. <i>arXiv:250316640</i>. Published online 2025.
  apa: Khedkar, M., Schlichtig, M., Mohan, S., &#38; Bodden, E. (2025). Visualizing
    Privacy-Relevant Data Flows in Android Applications. In <i>arXiv:2503.16640</i>.
  bibtex: '@article{Khedkar_Schlichtig_Mohan_Bodden_2025, title={Visualizing Privacy-Relevant
    Data Flows in Android Applications}, journal={arXiv:2503.16640}, author={Khedkar,
    Mugdha and Schlichtig, Michael and Mohan, Santhosh and Bodden, Eric}, year={2025}
    }'
  chicago: Khedkar, Mugdha, Michael Schlichtig, Santhosh Mohan, and Eric Bodden. “Visualizing
    Privacy-Relevant Data Flows in Android Applications.” <i>ArXiv:2503.16640</i>,
    2025.
  ieee: M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, S. Mohan, and E. Bodden, “Visualizing Privacy-Relevant
    Data Flows in Android Applications,” <i>arXiv:2503.16640</i>. 2025.
  mla: Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “Visualizing Privacy-Relevant Data Flows in Android
    Applications.” <i>ArXiv:2503.16640</i>, 2025.
  short: M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, S. Mohan, E. Bodden, ArXiv:2503.16640 (2025).
date_created: 2026-03-16T17:39:12Z
date_updated: 2026-03-16T17:40:56Z
department:
- _id: '76'
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2503.16640'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: arXiv:2503.16640
status: public
title: Visualizing Privacy-Relevant Data Flows in Android Applications
type: preprint
user_id: '32312'
year: '2025'
...
---
_id: '52235'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Android applications collecting data from users must protect it according
    to the current legal frameworks. Such data protection has become even more important
    since the European Union rolled out the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
    Since app developers are not legal experts, they find it difficult to write privacy-aware
    source code. Moreover, they have limited tool support to reason about data protection
    throughout their app development process.\r\nThis paper motivates the need for
    a static analysis approach to diagnose and explain data protection in Android
    apps. The analysis will recognize personal data sources in the source code, and
    aims to further examine the data flow originating from these sources. App developers
    can then address key questions about data manipulation, derived data, and the
    presence of technical measures. Despite challenges, we explore to what extent
    one can realize this analysis through static taint analysis, a common method for
    identifying security vulnerabilities. This is a first step towards designing a
    tool-based approach that aids app developers and assessors in ensuring data protection
    in Android apps, based on automated static program analysis. "
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M, Bodden E. Toward an Android Static Analysis Approach for Data Protection.
    In: <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International Conference on Mobile Software
    Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’24). Association for Computing Machinery,
    New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i> ; 2024. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389">10.1145/3647632.3651389</a>'
  apa: Khedkar, M., &#38; Bodden, E. (2024). Toward an Android Static Analysis Approach
    for Data Protection. <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International Conference
    on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’24). Association for Computing
    Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i> 11th International Conference on Mobile
    Software Engineering and Systems 2024, Lisbon, Portugal. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389">https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389</a>
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Khedkar_Bodden_2024, title={Toward an Android Static Analysis
    Approach for Data Protection}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389">10.1145/3647632.3651389</a>},
    booktitle={Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International Conference on Mobile
    Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’24). Association for Computing Machinery,
    New York, NY, USA, 65–68.}, author={Khedkar, Mugdha and Bodden, Eric}, year={2024}
    }'
  chicago: Khedkar, Mugdha, and Eric Bodden. “Toward an Android Static Analysis Approach
    for Data Protection.” In <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International Conference
    on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’24). Association for Computing
    Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i>, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389">https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389</a>.
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar and E. Bodden, “Toward an Android Static Analysis Approach for
    Data Protection,” presented at the 11th International Conference on Mobile Software
    Engineering and Systems 2024, Lisbon, Portugal, 2024, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389">10.1145/3647632.3651389</a>.'
  mla: Khedkar, Mugdha, and Eric Bodden. “Toward an Android Static Analysis Approach
    for Data Protection.” <i>Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International Conference
    on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’24). Association for Computing
    Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68.</i>, 2024, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3647632.3651389">10.1145/3647632.3651389</a>.
  short: 'M. Khedkar, E. Bodden, in: Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International
    Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft ’24). Association
    for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 65–68., 2024.'
conference:
  end_date: 2024-04-15
  location: Lisbon, Portugal
  name: 11th International Conference on Mobile Software Engineering and Systems 2024
  start_date: 2024-04-14
date_created: 2024-03-03T14:37:53Z
date_updated: 2026-03-04T08:11:48Z
ddc:
- '006'
department:
- _id: '76'
doi: 10.1145/3647632.3651389
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2402.07889'
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: khedkarm
  date_created: 2024-03-03T14:39:08Z
  date_updated: 2024-03-03T14:39:08Z
  file_id: '52236'
  file_name: 2402.07889v1.pdf
  file_size: 530812
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2024-03-03T14:39:08Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
keyword:
- static program analysis
- data protection and privacy
- GDPR compliance
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Proceedings of the IEEE/ACM 11th International Conference on Mobile Software
  Engineering and Systems (MOBILESoft '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New
  York, NY, USA, 65–68.
status: public
title: Toward an Android Static Analysis Approach for Data Protection
type: conference
user_id: '88024'
year: '2024'
...
---
_id: '56137'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Many Android applications collect data from users. The European Union's General
    Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires vendors to faithfully disclose which
    data their apps collect. This task is complicated because many apps use third-party
    code for which the same information is not readily available. Hence we ask: how
    accurately do current Android apps fulfill these requirements?\r\nIn this work,
    we first expose a multi-layered definition of privacy-related data to correctly
    report data collection in Android apps. We further create a dataset of privacy-sensitive
    data classes that may be used as input by an Android app. This dataset takes into
    account data collected both through the user interface and system APIs.\r\nWe
    manually examine the data safety sections of 70 Android apps to observe how data
    collection is reported, identifying instances of over- and under-reporting. Additionally,
    we develop a prototype to statically extract and label privacy-related data collected
    via app source code, user interfaces, and permissions. Comparing the prototype's
    results with the data safety sections of 20 apps reveals reporting discrepancies.
    Using the results from two Messaging and Social Media apps (Signal and Instagram),
    we discuss how app developers under-report and over-report data collection, respectively,
    and identify inaccurately reported data categories.\r\nOur results show that app
    developers struggle to accurately report data collection, either due to Google's
    abstract definition of collected data or insufficient existing tool support. "
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Ambuj Kumar
  full_name: Mondal, Ambuj Kumar
  last_name: Mondal
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M, Mondal AK, Bodden E. Do Android App Developers Accurately Report
    Collection of Privacy-Related Data? In: <i>In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM
    International Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)</i>.
    ; 2024. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949">10.1145/3691621.3694949</a>'
  apa: Khedkar, M., Mondal, A. K., &#38; Bodden, E. (2024). Do Android App Developers
    Accurately Report Collection of Privacy-Related Data? <i>In Proceedings of the
    39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops
    (ASEW ’24)</i>. 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering
    (ASE 2024), Sacramento, California. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949">https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949</a>
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Khedkar_Mondal_Bodden_2024, title={Do Android App Developers
    Accurately Report Collection of Privacy-Related Data?}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949">10.1145/3691621.3694949</a>},
    booktitle={In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated
    Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)}, author={Khedkar, Mugdha and Mondal,
    Ambuj Kumar and Bodden, Eric}, year={2024} }'
  chicago: Khedkar, Mugdha, Ambuj Kumar Mondal, and Eric Bodden. “Do Android App Developers
    Accurately Report Collection of Privacy-Related Data?” In <i>In Proceedings of
    the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops
    (ASEW ’24)</i>, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949">https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949</a>.
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, A. K. Mondal, and E. Bodden, “Do Android App Developers Accurately
    Report Collection of Privacy-Related Data?,” presented at the 39th IEEE/ACM International
    Conference on Automated Software Engineering (ASE 2024), Sacramento, California,
    2024, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949">10.1145/3691621.3694949</a>.'
  mla: Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “Do Android App Developers Accurately Report Collection
    of Privacy-Related Data?” <i>In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International
    Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)</i>, 2024, doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694949">10.1145/3691621.3694949</a>.
  short: 'M. Khedkar, A.K. Mondal, E. Bodden, in: In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM
    International Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24),
    2024.'
conference:
  end_date: 2024-11-01
  location: Sacramento, California
  name: 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering (ASE
    2024)
  start_date: 2024-10-27
date_created: 2024-09-16T08:50:54Z
date_updated: 2024-11-18T13:19:51Z
ddc:
- '000'
department:
- _id: '76'
doi: 10.1145/3691621.3694949
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2409.04167'
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: khedkarm
  date_created: 2024-09-16T08:49:42Z
  date_updated: 2024-09-16T08:49:42Z
  file_id: '56138'
  file_name: 2409.04167v1.pdf
  file_size: 1270058
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2024-09-16T08:49:42Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated
  Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)
status: public
title: Do Android App Developers Accurately Report Collection of Privacy-Related Data?
type: conference
user_id: '88024'
year: '2024'
...
---
_id: '56140'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "    Android apps collecting data from users must comply with legal frameworks
    to ensure data protection. This requirement has become even more important since
    the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the European
    Union in 2018. Moreover, with the proposed Cyber Resilience Act on the horizon,
    stakeholders will soon need to assess software against even more stringent security
    and privacy standards. Effective privacy assessments require collaboration among
    groups with diverse expertise to function effectively as a cohesive unit.\r\n
    \   This paper motivates the need for an automated approach that enhances understanding
    of data protection in Android apps and improves communication between the various
    parties involved in privacy assessments. We propose the Assessor View, a tool
    designed to bridge the knowledge gap between these parties, facilitating more
    effective privacy assessments of Android applications. "
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
- first_name: Michael
  full_name: Schlichtig, Michael
  id: '32312'
  last_name: Schlichtig
  orcid: 0000-0001-6600-6171
- first_name: Eric
  full_name: Bodden, Eric
  id: '59256'
  last_name: Bodden
  orcid: 0000-0003-3470-3647
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M, Schlichtig M, Bodden E. Advancing Android Privacy Assessments with
    Automation. In: <i>In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference
    on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)</i>. ; 2024. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953">10.1145/3691621.3694953</a>'
  apa: Khedkar, M., Schlichtig, M., &#38; Bodden, E. (2024). Advancing Android Privacy
    Assessments with Automation. <i>In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International
    Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)</i>. 39th IEEE/ACM
    International Conference on Automated Software Engineering (ASE 2024), Sacramento,
    California. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953">https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953</a>
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Khedkar_Schlichtig_Bodden_2024, title={Advancing Android
    Privacy Assessments with Automation}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953">10.1145/3691621.3694953</a>},
    booktitle={In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated
    Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)}, author={Khedkar, Mugdha and Schlichtig,
    Michael and Bodden, Eric}, year={2024} }'
  chicago: Khedkar, Mugdha, Michael Schlichtig, and Eric Bodden. “Advancing Android
    Privacy Assessments with Automation.” In <i>In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM
    International Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)</i>,
    2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953">https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953</a>.
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, and E. Bodden, “Advancing Android Privacy Assessments
    with Automation,” presented at the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated
    Software Engineering (ASE 2024), Sacramento, California, 2024, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953">10.1145/3691621.3694953</a>.'
  mla: Khedkar, Mugdha, et al. “Advancing Android Privacy Assessments with Automation.”
    <i>In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software
    Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)</i>, 2024, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3691621.3694953">10.1145/3691621.3694953</a>.
  short: 'M. Khedkar, M. Schlichtig, E. Bodden, in: In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM
    International Conference on Automated Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24),
    2024.'
conference:
  end_date: 2024-11-01
  location: Sacramento, California
  name: 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering (ASE
    2024)
  start_date: 2024-10-27
date_created: 2024-09-16T08:55:34Z
date_updated: 2026-03-13T12:12:45Z
ddc:
- '000'
department:
- _id: '76'
doi: 10.1145/3691621.3694953
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2409.06564'
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: khedkarm
  date_created: 2024-09-16T08:55:23Z
  date_updated: 2024-09-16T08:55:23Z
  file_id: '56141'
  file_name: 2409.06564v1.pdf
  file_size: 1207856
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2024-09-16T08:55:23Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: In Proceedings of the 39th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated
  Software Engineering Workshops (ASEW ’24)
status: public
title: Advancing Android Privacy Assessments with Automation
type: conference
user_id: '32312'
year: '2024'
...
---
_id: '44146'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Many Android applications collect data from users. When they do, they must\r\nprotect
    this collected data according to the current legal frameworks. Such\r\ndata protection
    has become even more important since the European Union rolled\r\nout the General
    Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). App developers have limited\r\ntool support
    to reason about data protection throughout their app development\r\nprocess. Although
    many Android applications state a privacy policy, privacy\r\npolicy compliance
    checks are currently manual, expensive, and prone to error.\r\nOne of the major
    challenges in privacy audits is the significant gap between\r\nlegal privacy statements
    (in English text) and technical measures that Android\r\napps use to protect their
    user's privacy. In this thesis, we will explore to\r\nwhat extent we can use static
    analysis to answer important questions regarding\r\ndata protection. Our main
    goal is to design a tool based approach that aids app\r\ndevelopers and auditors
    in ensuring data protection in Android applications,\r\nbased on automated static
    program analysis."
author:
- first_name: Mugdha
  full_name: Khedkar, Mugdha
  id: '88024'
  last_name: Khedkar
citation:
  ama: 'Khedkar M. Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance Assurance. In: <i>2023
    IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion Proceedings
    (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, Pp. 197-199</i>. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054">10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054</a>'
  apa: 'Khedkar, M. (n.d.). Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance Assurance.
    <i>2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion
    Proceedings (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, Pp. 197-199</i>. <a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054">https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054</a>'
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Khedkar, title={Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance
    Assurance}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054">10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054</a>},
    booktitle={2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering:
    Companion Proceedings (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, pp. 197-199},
    author={Khedkar, Mugdha} }'
  chicago: 'Khedkar, Mugdha. “Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance Assurance.”
    In <i>2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion
    Proceedings (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, Pp. 197-199</i>, n.d.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054">https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054</a>.'
  ieee: 'M. Khedkar, “Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance Assurance,” doi:
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054">10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054</a>.'
  mla: 'Khedkar, Mugdha. “Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance Assurance.”
    <i>2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion
    Proceedings (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, Pp. 197-199</i>, doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054">10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054</a>.'
  short: 'M. Khedkar, in: 2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software
    Engineering: Companion Proceedings (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023,
    Pp. 197-199, n.d.'
date_created: 2023-04-24T12:14:17Z
date_updated: 2024-09-16T08:46:25Z
ddc:
- '004'
department:
- _id: '76'
doi: 10.1109/ICSE-Companion58688.2023.00054
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2303.09606'
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: khedkarm
  date_created: 2023-04-24T12:15:27Z
  date_updated: 2023-04-24T12:15:27Z
  file_id: '44147'
  file_name: 2023047614.pdf
  file_size: 85313
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2023-04-24T12:15:27Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
keyword:
- static analysis
- data protection and privacy
- GDPR compliance
language:
- iso: eng
publication: '2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering:
  Companion Proceedings (ICSE-Companion), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, pp. 197-199'
publication_status: accepted
status: public
title: Static Analysis for Android GDPR Compliance Assurance
type: conference
user_id: '88024'
year: '2023'
...
