ARD Mediathek Security & Privacy Scorecard

Android

86
Overall trust score
Trustworthy
91
Security
84
Privacy

Usage and session data is collected by Firebase and sent to Nielsen AppSDK and Piano Analytics for audience measurement. Device advertising identifiers are accessed via Google and Huawei services. Crash reports are shared with Firebase Crashlytics.

Best for

ARD media fans comfortable with standard analytics

Findings

  • 0 critical
  • 0 high
  • 2 medium
  • 3 low
  • 5 info

1 issue identified across security and privacy analysis.

Top security issues

  • Auth tokens (accessToken, refreshToken, firestoreToken) stored unencrypted in Room database, retrievable on rooted devices
  • Exported CoverImageContentProvider allows any co-installed app to trigger arbitrary outbound network requests from ARD's process
  • Player WebView uses MIXED_CONTENT_ALWAYS_ALLOW, creating latent risk if remote content loading is ever introduced

Top privacy issues

  • Nielsen AGF audience measurement tracks all video viewing habits by default with no first-run consent dialog, reporting 21-field content metadata to a US-based company
  • Piano Analytics initializes in optin mode and assigns a 395-day persistent visitor UUID before any user consent action, tracking all screen navigation
  • Advertising IDs (Google GAID and Huawei GAID) collected by Piano SDK and stored alongside persistent visitor UUID, enabling cross-app behavioral linkage

Full analysis

ARD Mediathek

What This Means for You

Your video viewing habits and every screen you navigate are reported to Nielsen and Piano Analytics from the moment you install the app, before you ever visit the settings to opt out.

Recommendation: Use With Caution

Official German public broadcaster app with strong network security, but your account session data is stored without additional protection in the local database, and audience measurement tracking is enabled by default. Acceptable for general streaming use, but users on modified devices should be aware that locally stored account data is more accessible than on standard devices.

Best For: German public media viewers comfortable with audience measurement and analytics reporting being active by default

Key Findings

Data Security - 1 finding (1 medium)

Network Security - 1 finding (1 low)

Code Safety - 1 finding (1 low)

Privacy - 3 findings (1 medium, 1 low, 1 info)

Privacy Concerns

What Data is Collected

  • Personal information: account name, profile picture, user ID
  • Device information: device model, manufacturer, OS version, advertising identifier
  • Usage data: every screen you visit, every video you watch, playback position and duration
  • App-linked identifier: a persistent visitor ID stored for up to 395 days

Third-Party Data Sharing

The following third parties may receive your data:

  • Nielsen AppSDK - audience measurement reporting detailed content fields for every video played
  • Piano Analytics (AT Internet) - screen navigation tracking and device metadata collection
  • Firebase (Google) - authentication, cloud sync, and crash reporting
  • Google - advertising identifier collected and stored alongside your persistent visitor profile

Understanding the Scores

Security: 91/100
Privacy: 84/100

Security Breakdown

  • Data Security: 87/100 - Account session data stored in the local database without an additional layer of protection, accessible on modified devices
  • Network Security: 97/100 - All traffic uses HTTPS with a hardened configuration; the player component uses a permissive mixed-content setting that could become a concern if remote content loading is introduced in a future update
  • Code Safety: 97/100 - An image-loading component exposed to other installed apps can be triggered to make outbound network requests from the app's process

Privacy Breakdown

  • Data Collection: 82/100 - Viewing history, screen navigation, and device identifiers collected and reported to third parties
  • Data Sharing: 89/100 - Viewing and navigation data shared with Nielsen and Piano Analytics for audience measurement purposes
  • User Control: 83/100 - Tracking is enabled by default on install with no first-run consent dialog; an opt-out toggle is available in Settings

Positive Security Features

  • All network traffic uses HTTPS with a hardened certificate configuration; user-installed certificates are blocked in production builds, reducing exposure to interception on untrusted networks
  • Account session data is transmitted using standard secure authorization headers, never exposed in URLs or recorded in server access logs
  • Legacy media catalog links are automatically upgraded from HTTP to HTTPS before any network request is made
  • Network request logging is fully disabled in production builds, preventing account data from appearing in device diagnostic logs

Areas for Improvement

GDPR / CCPA Compliance

The app's privacy practices could be strengthened by:

  1. First-Run Consent for Tracking
    Display a consent prompt before activating Nielsen and Piano Analytics, giving users a clear choice before any data is reported to third parties.

  2. Clearer Opt-Out Visibility
    Surface the tracking preference during onboarding rather than in a buried Settings screen, so users can make an informed choice at the point of install.

Security Enhancements

  1. Encrypted Local Storage for Account Data
    Account session information stored in the local database could be protected using Android's encrypted storage options, keeping it safe even if a device is modified or compromised.

  2. Restrict Image Provider Access
    The image-loading component accessible to other installed apps could be restricted to prevent third-party apps from using it to trigger outbound network requests from this app's process.

Technical Context

App Type: Public broadcaster streaming app - video on demand and livestreams
Classes Analyzed: 24,891
Third-Party Services: 21
Context Tags: streaming, video, public_broadcaster, analytics, gdpr

About This Analysis

This security analysis was conducted by CITT (Can I Trust That), an independent security analysis service. We perform static code analysis on Android applications to help users make informed decisions about app security and privacy.

App Details

Developer: ARD Online (Südwestrundfunk Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts)
Version: 11.15.1 (versionCode 469438141)
Analysis Date: 2026-04-14
Package: de.swr.avp.ard

Analysis Limitations

  • Static analysis only (code review without running the app)
  • Based on APK version 11.15.1 analyzed on 2026-04-14
  • May not reflect server-side security controls
  • Cannot detect all runtime behaviors

Versions & scan history

ScanDateOverall score
#2 (current) 86/100