The Most Intrusive Apps: What Information They Collect and How It's Used.
These intrusive applications collect and disseminate your personal data. We explain what type of information they obtain and how it impacts your privacy.
Mobile applications are more intrusive than many users might imagine. In exchange for accessing "free" services, these applications often collect and share personal data with third parties, frequently without the user being fully aware of it. A recent analysis has revealed that several of the most downloaded apps in the App Store are also the most invasive of user privacy. Here are some of these applications and the types of information they collect.
Social media leads the data collection, with Meta at the forefront thanks to Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads, which share an impressive 68.6% of data with third parties. Other applications like Snapchat, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn are also known for extracting a large amount of information, which is used for contact suggestions or personalized advertising. WhatsApp Business is noteworthy as well, with 57.1% of data collected, raising concerns due to the lack of end-to-end encryption in its messages, allowing third parties to potentially access conversations.
Google applications are also notably invasive. Gmail, Google Maps, Google Pay, and YouTube are among the top data-sharing apps, with the latter responsible for sharing 31.4% of information with third parties and using 34.3% for advertising. Although Amazon takes a more cautious approach and shares less than 6% of its data, it still gathers a considerable amount of personal information (25%) to personalize its users' shopping experience.
Some applications are surprising in the amount of data they collect. For example, Duolingo shares 20% of the information with third parties, which is high for an educational app. Other popular games like Candy Crush Saga and Roblox also make the list, but the amount of data shared in these cases is under 10%. Additionally, PayPal ranks among the most invasive applications with a striking 65.7% of its data classified under "other purposes," including search history, contacts, and even photos and videos. Dating apps like Bumble and Tinder are also mentioned, as they collect many personal data points, encompassing profile information and shared multimedia.
The iOS App Store establishes six main purposes for data collection. Firstly, 57% of the analyzed applications share information with third parties for advertising. Similarly, 79% of applications use it for their own marketing. An astonishing 91% use this data for analyzing user behavior, while 81% focus on personalizing products, recommending specific items. Information is also utilized for application functionality, such as authentication and security, accounting for 94% among top apps.
However, not all data-collecting applications have malicious intentions. Some require certain permissions to function correctly; for example, Uber and Uber Eats need location access to offer their services, although their tracking may be more intense compared to alternatives like Lyft.
To protect personal information, it is advisable to review privacy reports in the App Store and Google Play before downloading an application. Considering using web versions instead of apps can also be an option to reduce data collection. Uninstalling rarely used applications can help limit the amount of information shared inadvertently. Ultimately, if an app is free and collects too much information, the true product may be the user themselves.
