Mobile apps know too much about you, which ones?

While their ranking on the list of “apps that collect the most personal information about their online users” may vary from year to year or depending on the source that compiles the ranking, the set of platforms listed has remained relatively stable for years.

Apps that collect data for their own benefit

The five smartphone apps that collect the largest percentage of our personal data for their own benefit are (in order of percentage collected) Facebook, Instagram, Klarna, Uber, and Uber Eats, according to the platform specializing in optimizing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) AIPRM (www.aiprm.com/prompts).

Its experts have taken as a reference the data from the 'Invasive apps' report (www.pcloud.com/es/invasive-apps), published in 2021, but a spokesperson linked to the AIPRM research has explained to EFE that "several recent studies and the analysis of the policies of online app stores indicate that the privacy practices of many applications have remained practically unchanged since then."

Furthermore, AIPRM experts have updated and enriched information from other sources and previous studies with additional data and experiences produced by this platform regarding the collection of user data by apps, the spokesperson emphasized.

Facebook and Instagram, owned by social media giant Meta, use 86% of user data to promote their products and show relevant ads, while Klarna, a global payments and commerce network, collects 64% of consumer data for marketing purposes, according to AIPRM.

For their part, both Uber (a mobility services provider) and Uber Eats (an online food delivery platform) collect 57% of users' personal data through their apps for their own commercial benefit, according to the same source.

Apps that track more personal data in general

Meanwhile, the top three apps on the list of apps that track the most data overall are Facebook, Instagram, and Uber Eats, which track 62%, 55%, and 50% of their users' personal data online, respectively, according to AIPRM.

In fourth and fifth place on this list are Trainline (an app for booking train and bus tickets) and eBay (an online platform for buying and selling goods), which track 43% and 40% of their users' personal data, respectively, according to the same source. Apps that share the most personal data with third parties.

The list of apps that share the most personal data about consumers with third parties is led by Instagram and Facebook, which share 79% and 57% of the collected data respectively, followed by LinkedIn and Uber Eats (both sharing 50% of the collected data) and Trainline and YouTube (43% of shared data), according to AIPRM. Growing concerns about online privacy.

Another study referenced by AIPRM is the Consumer Privacy and Trust Report from the digital accountability organization IAPP (https://iapp.org), for which 4,750 people in 19 countries were surveyed, revealing that 68% of consumers worldwide are 'somewhat concerned' or 'very concerned' about their online privacy.

Eighty-five percent of consumers surveyed for this 2023 report said they had deleted a mobile app “in the past twelve months,” while 82 percent opted not to share their personal data, 78 percent avoided a particular website, and 67 percent decided not to make an online purchase due to concerns about their digital privacy.

According to AIPRM data, there are an estimated 7.2 billion smartphone users worldwide, and with concerns about online privacy higher than ever, billions of people could be concerned about the amount of personal information their apps store.

On the other hand, apps often track consumers' personal data to display ads from third-party sources within the app or share that data with advertisers; to display ads for the app itself; to evaluate user behavior; and to improve the app's functionality, security, and software, according to NSoft.

What cybersecurity risks do we face?

Christoph C. Cemper, founder of AIPRM, points out that “there are security risks inherent in using applications that collect and use our personal data.”

On the one hand, “cyberattacks and hacks are becoming more common and sophisticated, as cybercriminals constantly refine their methods,” and on the other hand, “rapid digitalization and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) are other factors contributing to a more complex global cyberthreat landscape,” according to Cemper.

"In this sense, apps are constantly vulnerable, so it's vital that users maintain robust and up-to-date security and data encryption protocols," he emphasizes.

"If the user doesn't take security measures, malicious actors could access large amounts of their personal data, potentially exposing them to fraud or identity theft," he warns.

Cemper points out that "in addition to external cybersecurity threats, some apps could also violate privacy regulations by collecting more data than necessary without fully disclosing how it is used."

How much do apps know about us?

"Very few app users read their privacy policies, so they are unaware of the amount of personal data being collected or how it is being used," he emphasizes.

“A good starting point to learn more about data collection by apps is to check the privacy information on app store pages for both iOS and Android, which details the type of data the app collects and how it is used,” suggests Cemper.

He explains that most Android devices offer a privacy dashboard that allows users to view the data apps have access to and manage their preferences.

On Apple and iOS devices, the Privacy and Security section of Settings provides information about which apps have access to and track user data, and offers options for users to manage tracking and collection permissions, according to Cemper.

Additionally, third-party services such as AppCensus (https://appcensus.io) can be used to analyze the privacy of mobile apps to reveal what data they collect and how they use it, providing further insights, he concludes.

HIGHLIGHTS:

— The five smartphone apps that collect the largest percentage of our personal data for their own benefit are (in order of percentage collected) Facebook, Instagram, Klarna, Uber, and Uber Eats, according to the artificial intelligence platform AIPRM.

— Facebook, Instagram, and Uber Eats are in the top three spots on the list of apps that track the most data overall, followed by Trainline (an app for booking train and bus tickets) and eBay (an online platform for buying and selling products), the same source adds.

— Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Uber Eats, Trainline, and YouTube top the list of apps that share the most personal data with third parties, according to Christoph C. Cemper of AIPRM, who warns of the cybersecurity risks posed by tracking, collecting, and sharing personal information.