- According to Surfshark, the real data hoarders are US applications
- Amazon is the leader and also collects user votes and audio data.
- Data can be used to create digital copies of users.
Scanning US shopping apps for the best deals ahead of the Black Friday rush? Then you might want to know that their reputation for data collection is terrible, even surpassing their oft-criticized Chinese counterparts.
This is the result of Surfshark’s latest research. The cyber security firm investigated the data collection practices of the ten most popular shopping apps in the US and found that the four most aggressive data collectors are based in the US and surpass their Chinese competitors in the amount of data collected.
Surprise, surprise: Amazon is the program that consumes the most data25 unique data types are collected in the investigated categories. Walmart and Costco each follow with 23 varieties, while Whatnot collects 20. In contrast, China’s largest aggregator, Alibaba, collects “only” 19 types of data, followed by Temu with 17.
The developer 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 the number of categories handled by each app by examining public information in Apple’s App Store.
All the apps analyzed extract large amounts of users’ personal data, including payment details, usernames used and search history, and most also collect phone numbers, photos and videos.
However, Only Amazon and Walmart collect information classified as “sensitive.” and this may include political opinions, ethnicity and biometric data. In the case of Whatnot and Alibaba, it is worrying to know that they can also collect voice or audio recordings.
A dangerous association
While it is reasonable to assume that Amazon, the largest marketplace in the Western world, consumes huge amounts of data to improve its personalization algorithms (including all kinds of purely personal data), the results show some disturbing potential.
And while the study itself is based on standardized categories that don’t represent a uniform level of risk, the study warns users that they may not know what kind of information they’re actually exposing when they open an app or where it might end up.
Surfshark warns that continuous monitoring, persistent storage of digital data, and security risks such as data leaks and intrusions can expose information to malicious third parties and individuals.
In addition, health-related data could be used in advertisements aimed at exploiting people in particularly vulnerable situations. “Loss 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, head of research at Surfshark.
Shopping apps can also collect sensitive information by tracking how users interact with it, not just when they share it.
The more information that is released, the easier it will ultimately be to recreate someone’s digital profile, putting everyone at risk, the expert warns.
How to stay safe
Your last-minute Black Friday or Christmas deal might not be worth these hidden costs.
For a safer experience, simply do not download the apps, or at least read the privacy policy and increase the security of your account, for example by using two-factor authentication.
And if you’re looking for tools to better manage the data you leave online, now is the best time to do so. One of the first Black Friday VPN deals has already significantly reduced the price of Surfshark One, the company’s handy security suite. Here are all the details: