UPDATE: Google has denounced the SMobile report, charging that it "falsely suggests that Android users don't have control over which apps access their data." What's more, according to a Google spokesman, "developers must also go through billing background checks to confirm their real identities, and we will disable any apps that are found to be malicious." Regarding the apps that grant information access to third parties, Android users give their permission for this activity by downloading the apps. The SMobile report does not imply that all of the apps granting access to user data pose a threat. As we have reported on this site, many mobile devices are vulnerable to security threats.  

Approximately 20 percent of the applications built for Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android operating system provide third party access to private data, according a study done by SMobile Systems, a provider of security applications.

SMobile looked at more than 48,000 apps available for Android, concluding that many of them put professional and personal information at risk. Dozens of the apps allow the same kind of access to sensitive data that spyware allows. The open-source architecture behind Android has made it possible for developers to rapidly create thousands of new apps, providing opportunities for purveyors of malware.

"The Android operating system and the Android Market are quickly becoming the most widely used mobile platform and app store in the world.  There are individuals and organizations out there right now, developing malicious code designed to capture your most personal information and use it to their advantage," said Neil Book, CEO of SMobile Systems.

Naturally, SMobile is offering a way to protect information that is sent over Android. The company's security programs help businesses  protect, manage and audit a variety of mobile devices, including those using Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian and BlackBerry.

For more:
- see SMobile Systems press release
- see report: "Android Market Threat Analysis"

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