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6 Data-Sharing Apps Security Experts Say You Should Delete From Your iPhone Immediately

November 26, 2023 by Lisa Cupido
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There are a number of apps that are well-known data snatchers. In other words: they accumulate as much personal data as they can on you and turn around and (usually) sell it to advertisers. Even though the list of great offenders extends far beyond just two, if one of your New Year’s goals is to beef up your personal tech security, Tech Security Expert Irene Graham, co-founder of Spylix, shares a few major offenders to get you started. Here are two data-sharing apps security experts say you should delete from your iPhone immediately.

Tiktok 

Why: This reservation partially stems from accounts that the platform acutely raids the privacy of its users, potentially passing on databases to the authoritarian Chinese government, according to Graham. “The app does accumulate a ton of user data,” Graham said. “And while it may not be negative, users should at least be skeptical, and ask themselves if a social media app needs to have entry to information like your hardware IDs, the apps installed on your phone, memory usage, your IP address, or your most recently utilized WiFi access points.”

IPVanish VPN

Why: VPNs, virtual private networks, rose in vogue over the previous 10 years, but they’ve been everywhere since 1996, Graham says. And they’re rather helpful — “They aim to mask your internet activity and provide privacy and facelessness by creating a confidential internet network from a public connection,” Graham said. “VPNs mask your internet protocol (IP) area, making it virtually unattainable to trace you.”

But here’s the caveat: many VPN apps aren’t safe and secure, including one of the most famous providers, IPVanish VPN. “In 2018, IPVanish was found to be logging into customers’ databases and providing them to U.S. authorities,” Graham said. “Since it was detected, IPVanish ceased the practice, but it induced many trust issues for its users, leading many subscribers to cancel their subscriptions and delete the app.”

Always be careful when you’re using apps that are known for using and misusing your data. And consider deleting these two to keep yourself as safe and secure as possible. 

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Instagram 

 


A recent study revealed that Instagram shares more personal data than any other app in the App Store. According to this study, everyone’s favorite photo and video-sharing platform shares 79 percent of the data it collects on your with third parties. That means: it is collecting and sharing your locations, purchases, contacts, browsing history, and more. 

 


Uber Eats 

 


You may think of food delivery service apps like Uber Eats as harmless — and pretty convenience. And for the most part, you’re right on both accounts. But Uber Eats is also guilty of collecting and sharing your data —  about 50 percent of it — including your location. It also has plenty of data about how much money your spend and your food preferences. 

work-apps-iphone

Facebook 

 


Second only to Instagram in terms of apps that share your data, Facebook shares 57 percent of its users’ data. When you think about all of the information you post online, with your locations, preferences, and even political affiliations, it has a whole lot of diverse data to sell to third parties. 

 


LinkedIn

 


Coming in after Instagram and Facebook, LinkedIn shares approximately 50 percent of its users’ data with third parties. As useful as this site is when it comes to searching for employment and connecting with present and past coworkers, it takes — in the form of data that can include your URL links to photos, contacts, and your personal demographic information. 

 

 

 

Always be careful when you’re using apps that are known for using and misusing your data. And consider deleting these two to keep yourself as safe and secure as possible. 

Author:

Lisa Fogarty is a lifestyle writer and reporter based in New York who covers health, wellness, relationships, sex, beauty, and parenting.

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