content: How exactly is the NSA able to get hold of the userdata stored on anyone's Android phone? The Wikipedia page on Android (Operating System) has the following to say: As part of the broader 2013 mass surveillance disclosures it was revealed in September 2013 that the American and British intelligence agencies, the National Security Agency (NSA) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), respectively, have access to the user data on iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. They are reportedly able to read almost all smartphone information, including SMS, location, emails, and notes.[185] In January 2014, further reports revealed the intelligence agencies' capabilities to intercept the personal information transmitted across the Internet by social networks and other popular applications such as Angry Birds What I want to understand is how exactly is this technically achievable (unless the app developers give that information themselves)? Android is a pure open source OS based on linux, it doesn't seem very likely that someone will place a backdoor there visible to the public. Assume that you just installed TempleRun from PlayStore, played the game a few times and made a total run of 200 miles. Then, how does this information automatically goes to NSA servers? i can think of only three ways: Which of these seems most likely?