Every time you use your phone to access social media , stream, or play games, you're often inadvertently exposing the information it collects. Your favorite apps aren't just collecting information for their own use; they're also sharing it with third parties, all for profit.
Note : The numbers mentioned in this article are based on research conducted by Marin Marinčić at Nsoft.
10. Candy Crush Saga
At first glance, the only thing that seems bad about Candy Crush Saga is how addictive it is. However, that’s not true. While many gaming apps collect user data for analytics and personalization, Candy Crush goes one step further, sharing 8.6% of your personal data with third parties.
In contrast, other popular games like Roblox and Monopoly GO! do not share any personal data with outside parties. If you are serious about protecting your personal information, you may want to consider an alternative to Candy Crush Saga.
9. Duolingo
Behind Duolingo's fun and gamified interface lies a privacy trade-off that most users aren't aware of. While the app aims to make language learning engaging and accessible, it collects a surprising amount of personal data from the moment you create an account until you sign up for Duolingo Max.
Duolingo's privacy policy makes it clear that they may share your data with OpenAI and even advises users not to share any personal information when using the app. It's no surprise, then, that Surfshark named Duolingo the "Undisputed Tracking Champion" for 2023. Of all the personal data Duolingo collects, up to 20% is shared with third parties.
8. TikTok
You’re probably familiar with the serious risks TikTok poses to your privacy and security. The app collects a lot of personal information, including your phone model, operating system, real-time location, and your entire contact list.
TikTok shares nearly 23% of your personal data with third parties. This includes advertisers and data brokers who build detailed profiles about you for targeted advertising or other less-than-transparent purposes.
7. Snapchat
Despite stiff competition from platforms like Instagram and TikTok, Snapchat continues to maintain a large user base of over 850 million monthly active users. While it may have made a name for itself with its self-destruct model, the app’s data collection practices aren’t all that different from TikTok’s.
Snapchat collects and stores everything you voluntarily share in your profile, including metadata from messages and snaps you send. It also tracks your exact location through its Snap Map feature, even when you’re not using the app.
According to a report by Nsoft, Snapchat shares about 14.3% of your personal information with third parties.
6. X
X has gone through quite a few changes over the past few years, but not all of them are aimed at improving the user experience. The platform not only collects tweets and direct messages, but also closely tracks your interactions with ads, tracking every click, scroll, and even how long you linger on an ad.
Not only does X use your data to train AI models, it also shares 28.6% of your personal data with third parties.
5. Spotify
Even if you don’t use Spotify to upload anything or exchange messages, the app knows more about you than you might expect. Spotify tracks your listening habits in surprising detail: What you listen to, for how long, and even what time of day you listen, not just to create your cool Spotify Wrapped playlist at the end of the year.
Spotify even collects motion and orientation data from sensors on your phone, like the gyroscope and accelerometer. On top of that, it shares about 17% of your personal data with third-party partners.
4. Amazon & Prime Video
From your purchase history and viewing habits to your device information and location data, Amazon builds a detailed profile of you to drive its advertising and recommendation algorithms. If you use the Amazon app on your phone, it can also access your contact list, photos, Wi-Fi credentials, and even aspects of your credit history.
Given the number of popular companies Amazon owns—Twitch, IMDb, Ring, Audible, and others—the app has more touchpoints in your digital life than you might realize. Amazon sells about 5.7% of the user data it collects, while Prime Video sells a whopping 8.6%.
3. YouTube
YouTube may be one of the most entertaining apps out there, but when it comes to privacy, it's far from harmless. As a core part of Google 's advertising ecosystem , YouTube collects a huge amount of personal data to deliver highly targeted ads.
Unsurprisingly, YouTube sells about 31.4% of the data it collects to other companies, who can use the data for targeted advertising, analytics, or even resell it.
2. LinkedIn
When using LinkedIn to search for jobs, you should provide necessary information about yourself, such as your education, work history, contact information, etc. However, that's not all LinkedIn knows about you.
In addition to the details you voluntarily provide, LinkedIn also collects your IP address, proxy server, operating system, and even the browser add-ons you use. LinkedIn recently made headlines when it revealed that it uses your data to train AI models unless you explicitly opt out.
LinkedIn collects up to 74.3% of user information and shares 37% of that data with third parties.
1. Meta Apps (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Threads)
Meta apps are notorious for their data-intensive practices. Each app collects up to 91.4% of your personal data. What’s more troubling is that when you sign up for other services using your Facebook account, you’re essentially giving Meta more data.
Despite ongoing privacy controversies, Meta continues to prioritize its vast advertising network over user privacy. In fact, when Apple introduced privacy features that made it harder for apps to track users across multiple platforms, Meta lost billions of dollars in revenue. Meta apps share 68.6% of your personal data with third parties, making them some of the most privacy-invasive apps out there.
Of course, uninstalling every app on this list may not be feasible for most people, but understanding the privacy risks and taking proactive steps to limit data sharing can significantly reduce your digital footprint.
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