However,these apps often havecovertcosts that come in the form of users personal data and privacy.
To this end, weve examined some of the most popular apps and the permissions the apps request.
Taken together, these numbers highlight the fact that many apps generate revenue through means other than direct sales.
Free apps, while convenient, often request permissions such as access to contacts, location, and audio.
The pie charts below show the distribution of apps across various categories.
For apps that fell under multiple categories, the most relevant or broadest category was chosen.
The free apps used in this study were selected based on their rankings from the Appfigures website.
We focused on app listings from both Android and iOS platforms, specifically within the United States.
Understanding App Permissions: What Are You Really Giving Access To?
The companys data collection framework includes 14 subdivisions which expand into a total of 37 more specific data categories.
This indicates that while developers mainly focus on performance-related data collection, there are potentially invasive data gathering practices.
This lack of transparency raises questions about how Google ensures that such ephemeral data is genuinely deleted after use.
Performance data, search history, and purchase history information is collected by 60% or over 30 apps.
For Advertising or Marketing, data collection practices highlight a strong focus on user identification and interaction.
For the Other Purposes category, data collection is more limited and focuses on key user details.
Around 30% or 15 apps capture user ID, while 26% or 13 apps gather gadget IDs.
Sensitive data like fitness, health, and sensitive information are not collected at all.
In the Product Personalization category, data collection centers around enhancing user experiences.
For Third-Party Advertising, the data collection revolves around user identification and interaction to boost targeted advertising.
Do App Permissions Match Their Purpose?
Our analysis also focused on the potential privacy concerns and risks associated with granting these permissions.
In contrast, apps like PayPal, Spotify, and Google Maps follow a different approach to data collection.
Given these insights, users should be aware of the sensitive information requested by social networking apps.
Similar to data collection practices, Google and Apple have frameworks outlining how developers can use the gathered data.
The following visual illustrates the 37 categories that outline this data sharing.
Tracking also includes sharing data with data brokers, except for fraud prevention or security.
Most developers avoid labeling their apps as tracking-related, similar to trends on the Play Store.
The other two sources were disregarded due to their limitations.
This list couldnt be expanded to include the 40 additional apps needed for this study.
Both the Google Play and iOS stores were examined to classify the apps into relevant categories.
Additionally, the lack of clarity surrounding data-sharing practices raises important concerns about user trust and transparency.
