FURI | Fall 2025

From Health Tracking to Policy Change: Assessing Privacy Risks in mHealth Apps

Mobile Health (mHealth) applications are increasingly providing accessible healthcare services from wellness tracking to disease management. As apps evolve through market shifts and policy changes, concerns arise about how user health data is collected, tracked, and protected. This study conducts a longitudinal analysis of Android mHealth applications to examine how privacy policies, data permissions, and network behaviors change over time. Static analysis  evaluates permissions, third-party libraries, and API hooks, while dynamic analysis monitors network activity, data transmissions, and runtime behaviors. The goal is to identify any changes in app architecture and data interactions that may reflect broader policy influences and to assess potential privacy and security risks from the changes.