- Surfshark says US apps are the real data hoarders
- Amazon leads the way and also collects users’ voices and audio
- Data could be used to create digital replicas of users
Scrolling through US shopping apps to find the best deals ahead of the Black Friday frenzy? Then you might want to know that their reputation for data collection is abysmal – surpassing even their oft-criticized Chinese counterparts.
This is the result of the latest research conducted by Surfshark. The cyber security firm examined the data collection practices of the 10 most popular shopping apps in the US and found that the four most aggressive data harvesters are all based in the US, surpassing Chinese competitors in the breadth of data collected.
Surprise, surprise: Amazon takes the place as the most data-hungry appthat collects 25 unique types of data in the studied categories. Walmart and Costco follow with 23 each, while Whatnot collects 20. In stark contrast, China’s biggest aggregator, Alibaba, collects “only” 19 types of data, followed by Temu with 17.
The creator of one of the best VPNs analyzed 35 different types of data collected for purposes such as product customization, third-party advertising and data analysis. The team also assessed how many categories were flagged by each app by examining public information on the Apple App Store.
All the apps analyzed vacuumed up huge amounts of users’ personal details, including payment information, used ID and search history, with most also collecting phone numbers, photos and videos.
However, only Amazon and Walmart collect information classified as “sensitive”; and it may include political opinions, ethnic origin and biometric data. Along with Whatnot and Alibaba, it is disturbing to know that they could also collect voice or audio recordings.
A dangerous trade-off
While it’s fair to assume that Amazon, the Western world’s largest marketplace, is gobbling up an insatiable amount of data to sharpen its personalization algorithms—including strictly personal data of all kinds—the results show a troubling potential.
And while the research itself is based on standardized categories that don’t represent a uniform level of risk, the study warns users that they may not realize what kind of information they’re actually giving away when they open an app—or where it might end up.
Surfshark warns that continuous tracking, permanent storage of digital data, and security risks such as data leaks and breaches can expose information to third parties and malicious individuals.
In addition, health-related data could be used in ultra-targeted advertising to exploit the most vulnerable people. “The leak of particularly sensitive data, such as political opinions or health data, can damage a person’s reputation and financial situation, as health data rarely changes and can be used by insurance companies and healthcare providers,” explains Luis Costa, research manager at Surfshark.
Shopping apps can also collect sensitive information by tracking how users interact with them—and not just when users choose to share them.
“By analyzing your searches, purchases and location, apps can learn about your interests and habits,” Costa told TechRadar. “Sometimes they could combine this information to guess personal details like your political views or health status, often to personalize your app experience.”
Ultimately, it will become easier to copy a digital profile of any person as more information is exposed, putting everyone at risk, the expert warns.
How to stay safe
Your last minute Black Friday or Christmas bargain might not be worth these hidden costs.
For a better-safe-than-sorry experience, simply don’t download the apps — or at least read the privacy policy and strengthen your account security, for example by using two-factor authentication.
And if you’re looking for some tools to help you take more control of the data you leave online, now is the best time to do it. An early Black Friday VPN deal has already slashed the price of Surfshark One, the company’s handy security suite. Here are all the details:
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