How safe is your phone?

The Comb

This week on BBC's The Comb podcast, we look at how criminals and corporations use hidden software to control smartphones.

A Nigerian tech entrepreneur Ridwan Agbolouage, 30 has been a victim of a viral infection on his phone.

"When I collected one app, another app entered my phone. I was contemplating whether to delete or uninstall, or whether to see what the app would do for me. Immediately when I clicked, my phone just went blank," he says.

Many of the other types of dangerous software lurk on phones and computers without the users knowing.

Cybersafe Foundation founder Confidence Staveley says one way to tell that information is being stolen from your device is when your data plan is exhausted faster than usual.

Malware can be hidden in mobile apps or web links that Ms Staveley says mobile phone users should take time to scrutinise.

We’re also investigating another type of software which is used to place advertisements on cheap smartphones.

According to Kenyan tech researcher Odanga Madung, “poor people are being made to pay for such kind of smartphones with their privacy”.

Listen to the full episode, The secret life of your phone: here or wherever you get your podcasts.