Meta apps declare widest collection of user data in Big Tech study
An analysis of 171 iPhone apps from five of the world’s biggest technology companies found significant differences in the amount of user data they declare they may collect.
By The Register
Apps owned by Meta declare that they may collect a wider range of user information than those belonging to several other major technology companies, according to new privacy research.
Surfshark analysed 171 iOS apps published by Meta, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon to compare the information each says it may collect from users.
The study examined privacy declarations provided by developers for Apple’s App Store.
Across the sample, Meta’s apps declared the broadest collection, averaging around 25 of the 35 possible data types considered by the research.
Google also featured prominently among apps declaring large numbers of data types.
According to the analysis, Google accounted for 29 of the 40 apps with the broadest declared data collection.
However, Google also had the largest number of apps included in the study, with 44 examined in total.
Nine of Meta’s 12 apps appeared among the same top 40.
The research found that every Meta app examined declared that it may collect device identifiers, product interaction information, performance information and crash data.
Some of the company’s apps also declared data including precise location and browsing history.
The results do not mean every listed type of information is collected from every person using an app.
Apple’s privacy labels describe categories of data that developers declare an application may collect and provide information about how that data can be used.
Surfshark’s research therefore compares those declarations rather than independently monitoring information transmitted from individual devices.
That distinction is important because the amount and type of information actually collected can depend on the particular features someone uses, permissions they grant and how an application is configured.
The study nevertheless highlights substantial differences in the breadth of information declared by apps belonging to some of the world’s largest technology companies.
Meta operates major consumer platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, while Google’s mobile services extend across search, maps, email, video, browsers and other products.
Different types of apps can also legitimately require very different information to operate.
A mapping application, for example, may need location information to provide directions, while communication services can require contact details or access to user-generated content to provide particular features.
The privacy implications depend not only on how many categories of information an app collects, but also on why it is collected, whether it is linked to an individual’s identity and whether it is used for tracking.
Apple introduced its App Privacy labels to give users greater visibility over those practices before installing software.
Developers are responsible for supplying and maintaining the information displayed in the labels.
For consumers, the research provides another reason to examine those privacy details rather than assuming applications produced by the same technology company all handle personal information in the same way.
Users can also review the permissions granted to individual apps on their devices and consider whether access to information such as location, contacts, photographs, microphone or camera is necessary for the way they use a particular service.