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You can probably already list off five good reasons to delete apps like Facebook that are killing battery power fast and taking up 90 percent of your attention each day. But, good news: this list of apps that you might want to reconsider doesn’t include a single social media app (not even Facebook or Facebook Messenger).
And that’s because the sole concern here is to protect you from apps that could be compromising your private information.
According to PrivacyGrade, which rates apps according to how privacy sensitive they are: “Today’s smartphones have an incredible array of capabilities. Smartphones have access to our communications (email, contacts list, and social networks), activities (location, call logs, photos, accelerometers), and more. However, some apps access this sensitive data in ways that people do not expect. These are not just hypothetical risks either: several app developers have already been fined by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive uses of people’s data.”
Here are six iPhone apps you should delete ASAP, according to privacy experts.
Believe it or not, many of the apps that are costing you battery power and sometimes data actually received an A rating from PrivacyGrade when it came to not compromising your private, personal information. Apps that you needn’t worry about include Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Snapchat.
There are plenty of apps that fall into the B and C categories — and it’s always up to you to decide if they’re worth the risk.
But here are six D-rated apps that probably aren’t worth the trouble they could cause.
1. Words With Friends — this fun app has the ability to read your contacts, retrieve running apps, and have full network access.
2. Go SMS Pro — This app can send SMS messages, and also read your phone status and identity.
3. Samsung Health — While recording and analyzing your daily activities and habits could seem helpful, the app is able to gain full network access, find accounts on your device, and obtain your precise location.
4. Draw Something — How harmful could a fun little art app be? This one has complete network access and can modify or delete the contents of your USB storage.
5. My Talking Tom — This game is incredibly popular — and also has the incredible potential to invade your privacy. It can record audio, read your phone’s status and identity, and modify or delete the contents of your usb storage.
6. Slot Machine — While you’re killing time and trying your luck on this free casino app, you’re also taking a huge chance because it can retrieve running apps, record audio, gain full network access, determine your precise location, and read your phone status and identity.
