Signal, AI Generated Art Least, Amazon, Facebook Most Invasive Apps, Study

Surfshark’s Research Hub analyzed 100 popular apps and found shopping and food delivery apps are the most data-hungry: Amazon Shopping and Wish collect the most data (largely linked to identity), while DoorDash and Uber Eats share significant data with third parties; Facebook and Instagram collect all 32 Apple-defined data points, whereas Signal collects only a phone number and one AI art app collects none. The study tallies 1,523 unique data points across apps (avg. 15/app), notes widespread collection of identifiers and location (often precise), and advises users to vet developers, limit permissions, and review data retention policies.