Key Highlights
- Threads is the most invasive app, collecting 86% of its user’s personal data.
- 51% of the apps share their user data with third parties. At the same time, 72% of the apps collect data for their own benefit.
- The top 5 most invasive apps gather around 82% of user data.
- 84% of the Shopping category apps collect and share the personal data of their users.
A recent study by The Money Mongers has revealed the top 10 most data-hungry apps, with Meta’s social media apps taking 4 of the top 5 spots.
The study examined the top 100 most downloaded apps on the Apple App Store and looked at third-party advertising and developers’ own advertising to score how much personal user data each app collected.
Meta’s Apps Dominate as Most Invasive
According to the study, Meta’s newest app Threads collects a staggering 86% of users’ personal data, putting it in 3rd place behind Instagram (1st) and Facebook (2nd), which also collect 86%. Messenger took the 4th spot, collecting 86% of user data.
This makes Meta “arguably the most data-hungry company” according to The Money Mongers. LinkedIn occupied the 5th spot, collecting 65% of user data.
Top 10 Data-Hungry Apps
The top 10 data-hungry apps based on the percentage of personal data collected are:
- Instagram (86%)
- Facebook (86%)
- Threads (86%)
- Messenger (86%)
- LinkedIn (65%)
- Uber Eats (54%)
- DoorDash (50%)
- X (50%)
- YouTube (47%)
- YouTube Music (47%)
Other Notable Apps
Other popular apps also made the top 50, including Google (12th), Canva (19th), Snapchat (33%), TikTok (28th), Spotify (29th), Uber (31st), Amazon Prime Video (32nd), Tinder (37th), Google Maps (39th), Amazon (40th), and Disney+ (50th).
Also Read: Threads users to finally get account deletion without Instagram loss
Overall the study found that 72% of the top 100 apps collect user data for their own benefit, while 51% share data with third parties.
Social Media and Shopping Apps Most Invasive
The study claims that 7 out of 10 social media apps top the list of most invasive apps. Of the top 100 social networking apps, 62% reportedly collect and share user data.
Meanwhile, 84% of shopping apps also collect and share users’ personal information.
Concerns Over Data Collection Persist
The findings highlight ongoing concerns over apps collecting large amounts of personal user data without clear consent. While data collection enables companies to target customized ads, many consumers are uneasy about how much of their information is being gathered.
Going forward, tighter regulations around transparency in data collection may be needed to give users more control over their privacy.
