Keeping your personal information and data safe in today’s digital world is super important now more than ever.
This is why you should be extra conscious of what apps and other things you download onto your smartphone. These things can come with their own set of risks, and do things like put your privacy in jeopardy. Using information from tech pros, we’re listing 3 apps that can end up risking your information more than you may realize. Read more about them below.
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1. TikTok
TikTok is one of today's most popular social media apps by far, but it's also one that's well known for being more invasive than others.
"The data collection policies of TikTok are among the most invasive, as this application has continued to capture information regarding how a user interacts with all types of content at millisecond intervals for the purposes of measuring view-time, pause-time, re-watch times, scroll-speed, search history, and other aspects of engagement," explains tech safety pro Jacob Kalvo. "This may include collecting information related to device identifiers, approximate location, and/or clipboard activities (in prior versions). Additionally, the application may collect metadata regarding the user's device, network, and applications."
2. Temu
Online shopping is one of the most common ways to get things right now, and Temu, an overseas site that offers extremely discounted and cheap products of a large variety, has become a go-to for people needing things on a budget. However, it doesn't have a good reputation for safety.
"Actually, the FBI warned in its public notice about foreign-developed mobile apps that Temu is on the alert list," noted cybersecurity expert Jurgis Plikaitis. "The app is aggressive because it merges highly accurate location data with a list of all installed applications. This list is a unique fingerprint, revealing banking, dating, health, and even medication apps."
3. Meta Apps (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger)
Meta is a massive, extremely powerful, and influential tech company. It's apps once started out as something simple, but are now becoming more well-known for their invasiveness.
"Users come here to connect with others and be entertained," explains tech safety author Patrick Coughlin. "They didn't come here to line the pockets of fraudsters. Meta's apps collect somewhere north of 150 distinct data points per user and stitch them together across the entire family of products, creating a boon for legitimate and fraudulent advertisers alike. Meta's platforms have become the single largest reported source of consumer fraud in the United States."
