It’s no secret that social media apps contain trackers, which is software that’s embedded in a website to record your activity. Most, if not all, of these apps are free — and this means, to make money somehow, you become their product.
And while all social media apps deserve your skepticism and caution (adjusting certain settings can help you maintain privacy), there are a few that are worse offenders than the others. Specifically, when it comes to social media apps, here are two that have been found to put your personal data most at risk.
TikTok
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance and has been found to the worst when it comes to your privacy. This app has nine trackers that include analytics, login, and Facebook Share. It will ask you if you it can access your camera, location, contacts, and access to your network and content you post.
Be very careful about what you allow TikTok to save — but, sadly, the mere act of using TikTok to make or view fun videos will put you at great risk of exposing your data.
Believe it or not, LinkedIn has just as many trackers as TikTok — nine in total — and these include accessing your contacts, calendar, SD card, and network status. The difference here is that you might expect LinkedIn to only deliver the convenience of providing you with networking opportunities and new employment. But you’ll have to make the difficult decision of whether the pros of using the LinkedIn app outweigh the potential cons when it comes to your privacy. Be very careful with the permissions you allow LinkedIn to have when you’re using it.
