Bitmoji Keyboard Full Access — Is It Safe?

The modern digital world is full of various opportunities that make our lives easier and more interesting. It works even for your smartphone — why should you type all the time while texting with your friends when there are so many ways to express your reaction? Words can never deliver the same level of precision as GIFs or stickers can. So, it is absolutely not surprising that such third-party keyboard apps like Bitmoji are that popular. They are able to spice up messaging on your phone, and they are fast, user-friendly, and funny. In other words, you’ll surely forget about your in-build keyboard, which is so boring.

The interesting fact is that Bitmoji had topped the list of the most downloaded apps among iOS-users in 2017. Even such behemoths as Spotify, Facebook, and Google Maps were not that popular.

Everything seems amazing, but is there a dark side? Is it possible to say that Bitmoji is absolutely safe? Is it an app that just creates personalized avatars and emoji keyboards, or an app that is able to threaten your privacy? It is not about getting too paranoid, and it is about cybersecurity which is a king these days. So, let’s delve deeper.

Allow Full Access for “Bitmoji” Keyboards?

Once you find out about keyboards like Bitmoji, you surely want to install it and give it a try. However, you’ll surely face the message like “allow full access.” Many users don’t like this message as it looks like the application wants to get access to your personal data. Besides, you get the warning message from Apple as well. IT says that the developer will access everything you type, record it and transmit. Of course, it includes sensitive data as well, such as your passwords, phone numbers, addresses, and even banking details. You want this keyboard. But you’ve heard about lots of scammers and hackers who steal personal data all the time. How should you feel?

Why Does Bitmoji Need Your Permission for Full Access?

The first thing you should do is to understand why exactly this or that service wants to access your data. For what reason? If it goes about Bitmoji, there is a dedicated section on the site where they explain their purposes. They claim they need your Full Access permission because it provides them with an opportunity to download your custom images from their services.

As you may understand from the full message, Bitmoji takes care of the potential users’ worries. They promise that their application is not able to read your messages regardless of the keyboard you use.

Does it Mean That Bitmoji Keyboard is Absolutely Safe?

Technically, an app still has the possibility to get your data. In fact, it doesn’t mean that it records all the things you type — Bitmoji is not a classical keyboard, so the chances are it only tracks your stickers, and you shouldn’t worry about every keystroke.

So, while they keep their word for not gathering your messaging data, it all depends on trust. As there are no convincing reasons to be worried, so you can probably relax. At the same time, you should keep in mind that this app collects other data.

Is there a solution that can make you calm? It is. If you take care of cybersecurity and data safety, it’s worth installing good VPN software. Actually, it is helpful for all apps that you use since your data is a significant asset. There are lots of scammers eager to steal it, so it would be a good idea to protect your privacy with a tool like VeePN.

Things are Not That Good on Android

While you have a lot of questions about the Bitmoji “Full Access” message in iOS, there are more details when you’re installing this application from Google Play. It asks you to provide identity information, access to camera and microphone, call information, device ID. Do you really think that an app with a virtual keyboard used for funny stickers needs all this data? We bet they require this information for some marketing purposes, e.g., for advertising. So, if you don’t want to get constant ads from Bitmoji and its partners, you should definitely take care of your online privacy.

What Types of Data Bitmoji Collects?

To find an answer to this question, we should read the company’s privacy policy. The interesting aspect is that this document links to Snapchat. Yes, the same company owns Snapchat and Bitmoji. But it doesn’t mean that these applications should have the same functionalities as well as terms of purpose. Obviously, Snapchat is able to collect more data (and more types of data) than Bitmoji. However, if they have the same Privacy Policy, we should trust it. So, according to this document, here’s the data your app collects:

• Data that you choose to share. It includes the standard information that is necessary to use the service: your login data, contact information, date of birth, specifics of your account, etc.

• Service usage data. It’s a normal practice for software to collect insights on how users use their tools. Bitmoji is one such application that collects data about your activity. This set of data also includes the phonebook, your camera, and photos. As well as tracking details, cookies, information about location, device, and content.
• Data from third parties. The interesting fact is that Snap Inc (and Bitmoji) collect your data from third parties. They didn’t provide clear information, but we can understand that it is related to obtaining data from affiliates and user profiling. The chances are, most of the information comes not from Bitmoji but from Snapchat.

How Bitmoji Uses Your Data?

There are two completely different scenarios that are possible:

1. At best, Bitmoji uses your information to improve its service. It aims to make interesting offers, boost its stickers, and skyrocket your customer experience. If you have Snapchat and Bitmoji and use both of these applications, you should be prepared for targeted ads — that’s the way this company earns money.
2. In the worst scenario, this company (or any other company you share your data with) can expose your private data inadvertently. Even if Bitmoji is a reliable company with a good reputation and positive intentions, leaks happen, and some of them have very bad consequences. For example, let’s remember a recent AI.type data leak case.
   More than 30 million people were at risk of losing their personal information, and this data was really very vulnerable. Almost 600 gigabytes of information included biographical facts, device details, contact data, etc. Moreover, this database also stored corresponding passwords. That’s why it is always the right choice to explore the company’s privacy policy. Even if it is just a virtual keyboard application that is not supposed to learn from your password fields. Don’t use apps until you’re sure your data is encrypted and protected from third parties.

So, how to ensure your online safety?

Regardless of the specific application that you intend to use, whether it be Bitmoji, other virtual keyboards, etc., it would be a good choice to install VPN software like VeePN. This tool is able to hide your IP address and replace it with the virtual one so that nobody can’t identify you online. It goes about your ISP, local authorities, third parties, and especially snoopers, hackers, and scammers. The VPN app creates an encrypted protocol to redirect your browsing data.

VeePN is a user-friendly application that allows you to own your privacy. Stay in touch with your friends, visit various websites, use the Bitmoji keyboard or any other tools without worries that your online activity can be traced. It would be a good choice to keep your VPN app turned on whenever you’re online, as it guarantees you the highest level of protection.

Wrapping Up

We know that you’re wondering: is it really safe to use a Bitmoji keyboard? Taking everything that we know into account, we can provide you neither with a clear ‘yes’ nor ‘no’ answer. On the one hand, you should be aware of their extensive fishy permissions, obscure privacy policy, and general privacy risks. At the same time, these facts are not enough to claim this company to be a scammer you should absolutely avoid. So, if you really want to give a chance to funny stickers, go for it. Just be protected. VeePN will make your online life more entertaining and more secure.

Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.