Your smartphone may be killing your data plan with invisible ads

According to a new study by ad fraud detection form Forensiq, close to 15 percent of all mobile apps are loading ads while you use them that you might not even see.

The invisible images and videos can gobble up your data plan, while reporting back to advertisers that you’ve viewed an image, consequently earning the app developer some cash in the process. The apps in question typically ask for permissions on your phone that they might not necessarily need to operate. For instance, they might request access to your phone’s sleeping function, to prevent an app running in the background from being automatically shut down. Despite the vetting process for apps places like Apple’s App Store and Google Play, offending apps can still slip through the cracks. If you accidentally grant access, that means that an app could be running and serving ads, and consequently adding to your mobile data bill, while your phone is sitting on your nightstand.