Over Half of Apps Admit to Sharing User Data

A new report has exposed how many popular apps are sharing their users’ data, and what kind of sensitive data is being passed on to third-parties.

Data company Incogni investigated apps on the Google Play Store, looking at 500 free and 500 paid platforms. It found over 55% of apps admitted to sharing user data, with free apps sharing 7 times as much as paid platforms.

While many users accept their data may be shared, the types of information being collected and disseminated could be surprising. Over 13% of apps share location data, 4.7% share users’ names, 3.8% share location data and addresses, 3.2% share photos, and worryingly 1.8% share in-app messages.

4 apps were even found to be sharing the sexual orientation of its users, while 21 apps shared users’ phone numbers, the article from Business of Apps shares.

The article concludes saying that “the anonymised data is shared with third parties such as marketers or data brokers, but in theory such data could be shared with anyone”.