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Your Apps Spy on You: What Data Are They Taking?
15 Dec
Summary
- Many popular apps harvest personal data, sometimes without consent.
- Social media apps, games, and educational tools collect vast amounts of user information.
- Users can check app privacy reports before downloading to protect their data.
Many applications on smartphones are actively collecting user data, sometimes without explicit consent, raising significant privacy concerns. This data harvesting extends to seemingly innocuous apps like games and educational tools, as well as widely used social media platforms and services.
Research indicates that social media applications are among the most data-hungry, with some sharing over 90% of customer data. Companies like Meta, Google, and PayPal have been identified as major collectors of personal information, using it for functions ranging from advertising to personalization and even other unspecified purposes.
To mitigate risks, users are advised to review app privacy policies and app store privacy reports before downloading. Opting for browser-based versions of certain applications over standalone apps and regularly uninstalling unused applications can also help safeguard personal information from excessive data collection.
