The 10 Most Privacy-Invasive Apps: Report

Video and social media apps are the biggest culprits, according to this report.

Apps are notorious for collecting user data. And now, with AI, many are using our data to train their large language models (LLMs). It’s important to be vigilant over any app’s terms of service and what exactly they are collecting from you when you use their software, be it for consumer or business use.

A recently released report lists the topmost privacy invasive apps based on several metrics. The report, compiled by software development company Inoxoft, detailed its methodology on how it came up with its list.

The company analyzed the privacy of over 5,000 apps in the Apple App Store, it said in a news release. To pinpoint which apps were most invasive, it created a rating system from 1 to 100 based on 46 pieces of criteria: data type, data collection, user relationship type.

Inoxoft then analyzed each data type and factored that in with five levels of security implications and six different reasons for data collection (analytics, app functionality, developer's advertising/marketing, product personalization, third-party advertising, other).

Using this methodology, an index score was calculated to rate the most privacy invasive apps. According to Inoxoft’s report, photo and video apps are the most invasive, followed by social networking, and then food and drink apps.

The apps listed by name from most invasive to least are:

Instagram – Index score 61.47/100

Facebook – Index score 61.47/100

Grab (Taxi ride, Food delivery) - Index score 55.57/100

Threads – Index score 54.53/100

Meta Business Suite - Index score 54.53/100

Messenger – Index score 54.53/100

Nordstrom Rack: Shop Deals – Index score 53.62/100

Nordstrom – Index score – 52.54/100

Pinterest – Index score – 50.06/100

AE + Aerie – Index score – 50.01/100

According to the report data, Meta’s apps take the lion’s share of data privacy intrusion. On a side note, Meta just recently updated its terms of service, including how it utilizes user data to train its AI.

“As our reliance on mobile devices and, more specifically, mobile apps continue to grow, it’s essential for users to be aware of the extent to which their data is being collected, linked, and tracked,” said Nazar Kvartalnyi, COO at Inoxoft, about the findings in a news release.

“The data highlights just how invasive apps can be, with two of the most frequent and widely used ones, Instagram and Facebook, leading the charge. This is a reminder for consumers not just to accept any privacy policy blindly, but to take control of their privacy settings instead and stay informed about the data practices of the apps they use daily.”