Your apps know a lot about you. Even if you’re cautious about the data you provide apps and you try to withhold as much as possible, the truth of the matter is that some apps are super savvy about accessing your location and other personal information — and they can even sell this data to turn a profit. “Buyers” of this data can be anyone from an advertiser to law enforcement agents. But the tricky part is that you may not be totally aware of which apps you’re using that are the most serious about tracking you.
Experts say to delete these five apps from your device — they could be tracking your location and even selling your data.
Dating Apps
Dating apps compile so much data about you. They know your interests (hello, advertisers), locations, and more. And there have been instances where some apps, like Grindr, released location information to news outlets that exposed the whereabouts of their users (in this case, a gay Catholic priest was found to be hanging out at gay bars).
Be careful with how much information you provide dating apps — they aren’t always trustworthy.
Facebook & TikTok
TikTok tracks what you add to your clipboard and Facebook is an absolute nightmare when it comes to oversharing: it has permission to share your data with third-party apps, advertisers, and partners like vendors and service providers. It can even share your location and other data with law enforcement and any other company that it owns — and remember, it owns several, including Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Weather Apps
Say it isn’t so — an app that you trust to tell you the current weather and forecast might actually be amassing your location data and selling it to advertisers? That’s what some reports found — and some of the largest names in weather apps were guilty of this. Check the permissions on the weather app you use to make sure you aren’t allowing your data to be sold this way to the highest bidder.
Multiplayer Gaming Apps
If you’re a big fan of multiplayer gaming apps, make sure you check the permission on these because many of them rely on your location and other data to turn a profit — especially if the game is free. Remember: few free apps are truly free. And the ability to connect you with like-minded people who love a game as much as you do can sometimes cost you your privacy.
Food Delivery Apps
Food delivery apps like Seamless, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Caviar have various rules when it comes to how they agree to handle your data, including your location. But it’s so important to read the fine print when you sign up for a service because you might be shocked at what you learn. Caviar, for example, makes no bones about sharing user information with third parties and service providers if it helps fulfill food and delivery orders. Grubhub also claims to share personal data with third parties, but won’t compile and sell your personal data.
Not all apps are guilty of sharing your location and selling your data, but it’s important to be clued into which apps are looser with these permissions. When possible, change your settings permissions within the app to protect yourself — or delete the app when that isn’t a solution.
