It’s not a surprise to anyone that a study revealed that two Meta apps, Instagram and Facebook, rank as the most invasive apps in terms of data collected about you. But three of the apps on this top 10 most invasive apps list are quite surprising, considering the company they are keeping. But will this knowledge change what you do?
The 10 Most Invasive Apps Ranked
Software development company Inoxoft studied the policies of more than 5,000 apps on the App Store. These apps are all among the top 100 in their categories. They created their list of the 100 most invasive based on 46 indicators. The level of invasiveness was gauged whether data was tracked, linked, both, or neither.
With a score of 61.47 out of 100 are two Meta apps, Instagram and Facebook. They collect 32 out of the 35 data types, with 25 of them linked directly to the user, with seven linked and tracked. Think about that the next time you’re scanning social media. Though, the FTC did accuse Facebook of violating their privacy agreement to protect children. And that just makes it even worse.
Again, those are obvious choices of social media to head up this list, but if I were going to pick a ride-sharing app that I thought would break into the top 10, I’d say Uber. Instead, it’s Grab: Taxi Ride, Food Delivery. It’s the most invasive of any other app, save for Facebook and Instagram. Grab collects 27 data types, with eight linked to you and 15 linked and tracked. Its invasiveness score was 55.57.
It’s a three-way time between Threads, Meta Business Suite, and Messenger for fourth, fifth, and sixth place. So Meta is actually grabbing five of the top 10 spots and five of the top six. That’s a bit worrisome, I have to admit. These three had a score of 55.57. While they do collect 32 data types, none of them are tracked.
The last two spots in the top were awarded to Pinterest and AE + Aerie, the name given to American Eagle Outfitters. That’s hard to fathom why the app needs to collect that much data on its customers. But it collects 21 data types, and three of them are linked, while 16 are both linked and tracked. It’s just as surprising as Nordstrom, that takes up two spaces in the top 10, as both the Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack: Shop Deals apps rank on the list as well.
Will This Encourage You to Delete the Apps?
I have to begrudgingly admit that this isn’t going to change anything for me. I’m not going to stop using Facebook, Messenger, or Pinterest. Instagram I don’t use that often, and the others I don’t use at all. But giving up Facebook and Messenger would be hard. It’s how I stay connected.
I also rely a lot on photo and video apps, mostly photo, to prepare my images for the articles you see here on Make Tech Easier. And that’s the category that is the most invasive. But I don’t see my giving those up either, though I really should get rid of the ones I don’t use.
As Inoxoft COO Nazar Kvartalnyi commented, “It’s essential for users to be aware of the extent to which their data is being collected, linked, and tracked.” He added that this study is “a reminder for consumers not just to accept any privacy policy blindly, but to take control of their privacy settings instead, and stay informed about the data practices of the apps they use.”
That’s what it comes down to for many of us, just being careful about our privacy and the data we share. And I, thankfully, have already checked the boxes with Facebook. Although I could do more, such as using Facebook’s restricted list.
Image credit: Unsplash
