Take These 5 Steps to Stop Apps From Collecting Your Data Now

Companies are desperate for your data. Wherever possible, you shouldn’t give it to them because they can lose it to criminals in a data breach or sell it off to the highest bidder. 

It should be easy to tell what kinds of information companies collect by reading the app’s privacy policy. Unfortunately, the reality isn’t so straightforward. “I’m very hesitant to tell consumers to read privacy policies,” remarked Jen Caltrider, the project lead for Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included(Opens in a new window) team. “I read privacy policies for a living; they’re mind-numbing. People that don’t read them for a living don’t really stand a chance.” You can watch our conversation about maintaining privacy while using mobile apps here(Opens in a new window). 

Caltrider and her team recently published a fact-checking report(Opens in a new window) that scrutinizes the Google-mandated data privacy labels(Opens in a new window) on the top 20 free and paid Android apps. As PCMag’s Rob Pegoraro noted in his article on the report, 10 of the top 20 paid apps earned a Poor rating, which means Mozilla’s researchers found significant differences between the self-reported data collection practices on the safety label and the developer’s stated collection practices in its privacy policy.

This means that the data safety label information reported to Google may not match the information in the privacy policy. How can you trust that either of these self-reported data-collection statements is accurate? You can’t. Instead, it’s up to you, the consumer, to protect yourself by viewing the data collection permissions the app requests from your device and determining whether you are comfortable with giving up that information.

How to Dodge Data Collection

I asked Caltrider to tell me how to spot the most data-hungry apps. I’ve organized her methods into a list of tasks to do before you download any new apps. 

This list may seem like a chore, and it is! You shouldn’t have to do this to keep companies from taking your personal information and selling it or using it for their own purposes. Whether through effective federal legislation or independent oversight, companies should be taken to task for not accurately stating their data collection practices. Until that occurs, here are Jen Caltrider’s methods for dodging app data collection efforts:

1. Read the data collection policy. Each privacy policy has a section that details what kinds of data the app collects. Most privacy policies also include details about the company’s policies regarding sharing data with third parties. Look out for apps that collect lots of personal data from you and are unclear about how they use your data. Avoid apps that don’t let you opt out of sharing data with third parties.

2. Search for keywords. Open the privacy policy document in a browser and use Ctrl-F to open a search window. Scan the document for keywords related to the way your data is being collected and how it is being used. I suggest starting your search with the words “sale,” “sell,” and “collect.” 

3. Check the privacy details before downloading new apps. Android users should open the app’s page in the Google Play store and expand the section called About this app. Tap the App Permissions link for a detailed view of the app’s data collection methods.

   

   For iOS users, you can examine what data an app collects before it gets on your device. When viewing the app’s page in the App Store, scroll down to the App Privacy section, and tap on the sections labeled Data Linked to You and Data Not Linked to You. 

   

4. Check your phone’s permissions for installed apps. Check your phone’s app permissions every month to see if some apps are collecting excessive amounts of data. Android users should access their device’s permission manager. Visit the Settings menu, scroll down to Security and Privacy, tap the Privacy bar, and then tap the link labeled Permission manager. For iOS users, you can access your phone’s app privacy reports by visiting the Privacy & Security section of Settings.

5. Delete unused apps from your device. “You bought your house? Delete that realtor app. You’re looking for the love of your life? You got your dating apps, you found them. Great, delete those apps. Get them off your phone as fast as you can,” Caltrider said. She went on to mention that using the browser version instead of an app for social media provides a similar experience but with added privacy.  

Stop Data Collection at the Source

The next time you download an app from the App Store or Google Play, remember this list and consider the time it takes to complete it. Again, I don’t believe it should be necessary to access most mobile applications without giving up valuable personal data, but it’s our current reality.

Make tech companies stop collecting your data by shutting off their source of information. Uninstall those invasive apps. Use the web version of popular applications, or don’t use them. You have the power to enact change, even if it is small. You also deserve the right to privacy—take some of it back.