Meta Apps Vacuum Up Triple the Data of Apple and Microsoft

A recent study by Surfshark has shed light on just how much data Meta's apps collect. The research found that out of 12 Meta apps, an average of 25 out of 35 possible data types were collected.

This is more than triple the amount collected by Microsoft and Apple, with their apps averaging around 8-9 data types each. In fact, all seven of the apps that collected the most data belonged to Meta.

The study examined a total of 171 apps in the Apple App Store, including those from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta. The researchers used the developers' own App Store privacy labels to determine which data types were being collected.

Surfshark's research lead, Dr. Luis Costa, argues that this level of tracking is not a technical necessity, but rather a deliberate choice made by Meta. He points out that collecting triple the amount of data for the same tasks suggests an 'insatiable appetite' for user information.