Social Media and Food Delivery Apps Sell the Most Personal Data

When you use an app on your phone, it usually tracks your activity, collects your data, and sometimes sells that information to third-parties. If you're trying to protect that data and manage how it's shared, you should understand which information is at risk and which platforms to avoid.

According to a study conducted by pCloud, 52% of apps share your data with third parties. It found that Instagram shares 79% of your personal data, putting it ahead of Facebook, which shares 57% of your data, by comparison. The top 10 also include LinkedIn, Uber Eats, Trainline, YouTube and YouTube Music, Deliveroo, Duolingo, and eBay.

Even if apps aren't sharing your data, they still may be tracking and storing information. Instagram, Facebook, Uber Eats, Trainline, eBay, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, YouTube Music, and Grubhub are among the services with the highest data-tracking percentages.

PCloud also learned that 80% of apps use your data for their own internal and external marketing purposes. Once again, Facebook and Instagram lead the way: Each uses 86% of your data. They are followed by Klarna, Grubhub, Uber, Uber Eats, eBay, Just Eat, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Based on these results, it seems clear that social media platforms are the most invasive apps. Other categories to watch include food delivery apps, dating apps, and some video-streaming services.

This doesn't mean every app is a risk to your privacy, though. Apps including Signal, Clubhouse, Netflix, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom are among the services that do not track any personal data.