Subj : Watch out - these popular finance and budgeting apps might be sha
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Tue Sep 26 2023 12:30:04

Watch out - these popular finance and budgeting apps might be sharing your 
personal information with others

Date:
Tue, 26 Sep 2023 11:12:17 +0000

Description:
Top budgeting apps are collecting up to 22 different types of data from 
users, report warns.

FULL STORY
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New Forbes Advisor research (via Incogni ) suggests that some apps designed 
to help consumers manage their budgets and finances are actually collecting 
and sharing highly sensitive data. 

More alarmingly, some of the most popular apps are responsible for collecting 
the most amount of data, which can end up in the hands of third parties. 

These apps could be collecting other personal information too, with many 
requesting system permissions to get access to things like contacts and 
wireless connections. Budgeting apps could be selling your data 

The research measured 38 data points outlined by the Google Play Store 
policies, and found that the investigated apps collect over nine data points 
each. Only four of the 20 apps analyzed collected fewer than five data 
points, with the worst measuring 22 points. 

Those responsible for collecting the widest array of data include Mobills, 
Wallet, and NerdWallet. 

The most popular types of data collected include personal information like 
names and email addresses, financial information such as credit scores and 
payment history, and app activity. App information and performance was also 
noted to be a key metric. More than half (12) of the 20 apps were found to be 
sharing such data with third parties. 

The report also highlighted the bizarre permission requests made by some apps 
for access to things like calendars, contacts, and Bluetooth, which shouldnt 
technically be a necessity for these types of apps. 

Understanding precisely how our data is used can be incredibly challenging, 
and while Googles Play Store and Apples App Store go some of the way to 
helping consumers by flagging the sorts of information collected, we cant be 
sure what happens to this information. More from TechRadar Pro Weve rounded 
up the best privacy apps for Android Google Play Protect is upping its game 
by scanning apps in real-time Working from a computer? Here are the best 
privacy tools and anonymous browsers



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/these-apps-are-sharing-your-personal-an
d-financial-information-with-others


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