.:PDF READERS, PHONE CLEANERS, AND THE LIKE:.

In my line of work, within the last 6 months or so, a constant problem we have to solve is older aged people (late 50s to 80s) who have downloaded a mountain of PDF readers, phone cleaners, WiFi scanners, anti viruses, etc.

Once they have downloaded the app, they then give the app permission to be the launcher of the phone so it changes the layout and constantly displays adverts saying they have viruses or their PDF reader needs updated. Sometimes there’s only 3-5 of these apps, but I’ve seen 20 odds on a single phone.

Every single person says the same thing: “I was just scrolling on Facebook and it said I needed to update my PDF reader or else -insert imaginary bad thing here-“

They’re just ads.

Facebook is an absolute skid mark on the wonder that is the internet. The filter for what is shown to these people is so loose, let alone all the other worthless posts that are brought up there.

Google are complicit too. They allow these apps on the Play Store.

But at the end of the day, it’s up to the end user to really look at what they’re tapping on and to question whether it’s valid or not.

“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet!” - The same type of people who give a PDF reader app launcher permissions lul