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Research Tools

The Applied Science Research Institute develops and maintains open-source research tools for analyzing application behaviors, permission patterns, and network communications. These tools are available for researchers, academic institutions, and the broader research community.

Available Tools

AppPermission Analyzer

Language: Python | License: MIT | Version: 2.1.0

A comprehensive tool for analyzing application permission requests and patterns. Supports multiple platforms and provides detailed reports on permission usage, over-permissioning detection, and category-based analysis.

Features:

  • Automated permission extraction from application metadata
  • Pattern detection and anomaly identification
  • Category-based permission analysis
  • Export to multiple formats (CSV, JSON, PDF)
  • Batch processing capabilities

Installation:

pip install apppermission-analyzer

Repository: GitHub

Network Traffic Inspector

Language: Python | License: Apache 2.0 | Version: 1.8.3

Advanced network traffic analysis tool for examining application communication patterns, protocol usage, and data transmission behaviors. Supports real-time and offline analysis.

Features:

  • Packet capture and analysis
  • Protocol identification and classification
  • Encryption detection and assessment
  • Third-party endpoint mapping
  • Data flow visualization
  • Export capabilities for further analysis

Installation:

pip install network-traffic-inspector

Repository: GitHub

Privacy Policy Parser

Language: Python | License: MIT | Version: 1.5.2

Automated tool for parsing and analyzing privacy policies. Extracts key information about data collection, sharing practices, and user rights from privacy policy documents.

Features:

  • Automated privacy policy extraction
  • Key information identification
  • Readability analysis
  • Compliance checking
  • Comparative analysis across policies

Installation:

pip install privacy-policy-parser

Repository: GitHub

AppBehavior Tracker

Language: JavaScript/Node.js | License: MIT | Version: 3.0.1

Tool for analyzing application behaviors, tracking mechanisms, and user interaction patterns. Designed for web application analysis with support for browser-based testing.

Features:

  • Behavioral pattern detection
  • Tracking mechanism identification
  • User interaction analysis
  • Data collection point mapping
  • Automated testing capabilities

Installation:

npm install appbehavior-tracker

Repository: GitHub

Data Collection Analyzer

Language: Python | License: MIT | Version: 2.3.0

Comprehensive analysis tool for examining data collection practices, identifying data transmission endpoints, and analyzing data flow patterns in applications.

Features:

  • Data collection point identification
  • Endpoint analysis and categorization
  • Data flow visualization
  • Privacy impact assessment
  • Compliance checking

Installation:

pip install data-collection-analyzer

Repository: GitHub

Getting Started

All tools are available as open-source software with permissive licenses. To get started:

  1. Review the tool documentation on GitHub
  2. Install the tool using the provided package manager commands
  3. Follow the quick start guides in the repository README
  4. Join our community for support and collaboration

Contributing

We welcome contributions to our research tools! Contributions can include:

Please see individual repository contribution guidelines for more information.

Support and Documentation

Each tool includes comprehensive documentation:

License Information

Our research tools are released under permissive open-source licenses (primarily MIT and Apache 2.0), allowing free use, modification, and distribution for both academic and commercial purposes. Please review individual tool licenses for specific terms.

Contact

For questions about research tools, feature requests, or collaboration opportunities:

Email: research@appresearch.org
Subject: Research Tools Inquiry

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