Bet you aren’t surprised to learn that social media apps are among the worst offenders when it comes to privacy issues. Deleting the Facebook app is never NOT going to help when it comes to protecting your data, but the issue actually runs even deeper than Facebook. There are social media apps you likely aren’t considering at all when you do your due diligence and try and beef up your phone’s security. Jason Wise, chief editor at EARTHWEB, provides details on the social media apps you may be overlooking.
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Social Media "Lite" Apps
“Lite” versions of various social media apps such as Facebook Lite or Instagram Lite are often touted as the solution to saving your data and battery power. But Wise warns us that this isn’t always the case.
“These apps take up space due to their large cache sizes,” Wise says. “The cache grows over time as the app stores data like images and videos offline. Additionally, these apps often lack certain features found in the regular versions, so they may not provide the full social media experience.”
To mitigate storage consumption and improve performance, Wise says he recommends uninstalling the "lite" version and using the regular versions or accessing social media platforms through your phone's browser.
Here are some other apps Wise recommends keeping on your radar because they can compromise security.
Phone Cleaning and Boosting Apps
“Phone cleaning and boosting apps claim to optimize your device's performance, memory, and battery life,” Wise says. “Contrary to their promises, many of these apps misuse resources and hinder overall performance. These applications tend to run in the background, consuming CPU cycles and RAM unnecessarily. To fix this issue, it is advisable to uninstall such apps and rely on your phone's built-in system optimization tools or other reputable applications recommended by your device manufacturer.”
Antivirus Apps (Unverified)
There are numerous antivirus apps available in app stores that promise to keep your phone safe from malware and viruses, Wise points out.
“While legitimate antivirus apps are crucial for device security, some unverified antivirus apps are inefficient and can degrade performance,” Wise says. “These apps often run resource-intensive background processes that slow down your device, especially during scans. To address this problem, I suggest using reputable antivirus solutions from well-known providers and avoiding unknown or unverified apps.”
