Selling your data is big business — and a lot of apps are cashing in this way. As a general rule, whenever an app is free, it isn’t truly free. It’s going to find ways to collect as much of your data as possible in order to turn around and sell it to third-party advertisers and other parties that turn a profit using your data to get you to buy more things.
If this doesn’t sound like anything you want a part of, it’s important to know which apps are the most likely to be collecting your data to sell it. Here are six iPhone and Android apps that may be selling your data.
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1. Free VPNs
A quality VPN should change you a price for its important services. Those that are completely free have to make money somehow. And many do this by logging into your browsing data and selling it to third parties. Be careful and read plenty of reviews before choosing a VPN.
2. Photo and Video Editing Apps
Many photo and video editing apps collect facial recognition data, GPS, and photo metadata. Some of these apps send your data to unknown foreign servers, and if your information isn’t encrypted, it can be sold.
3. Free Games
Ever notice how many information free games ask you for? It seems like every few minutes they send you an ad or ask you download another add-on feature or ask you for more specific information. This is all an attempt to entice you to spend money or provide more of your data.
4. Shopping Apps
Many shopping apps are secure and are not selling your data. But be careful before plugging in your credit card information, address, email, and other info. An unsecured and shady shopping site is looking for any opportunity to collect and sell your data.
5. Social Media Apps
Apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X collect detailed behavioral, demographic, and interest data and have been known to sell it to advertisers. They then allow advertisers to target you via their sites and they profit this way.
6. Fitness Apps
We love how fitness apps feel like inexpensive personal trainers that keep us on track to meet our health and workout goals. But the dark side of these apps is they are collecting a lot of private information about your health, and can use it to share or sell to supplement companies, gyms, and more.
