7 Popular Apps Privacy Experts Warn You About (And Why You Should Be Careful)

Gmail and other Google applications are among the most widely used email and productivity tools globally, integrated into both personal and professional workflows.

See also -Everything Google Knows About You (And How to Stop It)

The Evidence: According to the invasive apps research, Gmail, Google, Google Maps, and Google Pay all made the top 20 invasive apps list. The research notes that some social apps use more than 90% of customer data to perform basic functions such as messaging or discovering new contacts.

Privacy & Security Impact: The extensive data collection across Google's ecosystem means user information from email, location, payments, and searches can be correlated to create comprehensive user profiles for advertising and other purposes.

Expert Action: Privacy-conscious professionals often opt for alternative email providers with stronger privacy protections and use compartmentalized services rather than integrated ecosystems that can track users across multiple touchpoints.

Candy Crush Saga is one of the world's most popular mobile puzzle games, played by millions of users globally across various age groups.

The Evidence: Research cited by PCMag notes Candy Crush Saga reports that less than 10% of collected personal data is shared with other companies, and while that’s a relatively small share, it’s based on self-reported app store labels.

Privacy & Security Impact: While the percentage appears lower than some apps, any data sharing with third parties raises questions about how user information is being monetized and what safeguards exist to protect player privacy.

Expert Action: We emphasize reviewing privacy policies and understanding exactly what data is being collected during gameplay, even for seemingly harmless puzzle games.

Roblox is a massively popular online gaming platform where users can create and play games. With millions of active users, particularly children and teenagers, it has become one of the most recognizable gaming brands worldwide.

The Evidence: According to research conducted by Marin Marini, head of IT Infrastructure at Nsoft, Roblox claims it doesn't share any data, but this self-reporting to Apple's App Store may not tell the complete story. SafetyDetectives research team analyzed 20 popular apps for kids and found that all of the subscription apps in the study posed privacy risks, 70% of the apps collected identifying information, and more than half shared user/child data with third parties.

Privacy & Security Impact: The biggest risk is for kids. Independent reviews highlight difficult or unclear data-deletion pathways in children’s apps, and Roblox’s own policy allows sharing of non-identifying data across ages, which can still contribute to profiling at scale.

Expert Action: We recommend checking privacy reports of any educational or entertainment-related apps installed on shared devices for children, or apps on devices owned by children, before installation.

Duolingo is a widely-used language learning application that gamifies the process of learning new languages, attracting millions of users worldwide.

The Evidence: According to the same research, Duolingo shares a much larger percentage of data with others (20%), and the rest of the data appears to be used for analytics and functionality.

Privacy & Security Impact: A 20% data sharing rate means that one-fifth of user information collected by the app is being shared with external parties. For an educational app that may track learning patterns, progress, and personal preferences, this represents a significant privacy concern.

Expert Action: We recommend carefully reviewing what educational data is being shared and considering alternative language learning methods that don't involve extensive data collection.

See also - These 17 Apps Are Still Watching You After You Delete Them

TikTok is a short-form video social media platform that has become one of the most popular apps globally, particularly among younger users.

The Evidence: TikTok, used by roughly 170 million Americans, is subject to a federal divest-or-ban law that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in January 2025; the Court allowed restrictions unless a qualified divestiture occurs. In late September 2025, the White House issued an order indicating a proposed sale structure is moving forward, though reporting suggests ByteDance may retain a minority stake pending final terms.

Privacy & Security Impact: Scrutiny centers on potential access to U.S. user data by entities subject to Chinese law and the extent to which any U.S. deal fully severs operational and algorithmic ties.

See also -If Any of These 17 Apps Are on Your Phone, Someone Is Probably Spying on You

Expert Action: Cybersecurity professionals have advocated for understanding the national security implications of apps with foreign ownership and considering the geopolitical risks of data collection by apps with unclear data governance.

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Cash App is a peer-to-peer payment platform that allows users to send and receive money digitally, operated by Block (formerly Square).

The Evidence: In January 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a consent order requiring Block, the operator of Cash App, to provide up to $120 million in consumer redress and pay a $55 million penalty, citing weak fraud-prevention protocols and failures to properly investigate unauthorized-transfer disputes.

Privacy & Security Impact: With tens of millions of accounts, those compliance failures exposed users to fraud risks and burdened consumers attempting to dispute unauthorized transactions, according to the CFPB’s findings.

Expert Action: Financial technology experts recommend using payment platforms with stronger fraud protection measures and transparent investigation processes for disputed transactions.

Pinduoduo is one of China's most popular e-commerce platforms, selling everything from clothing to groceries to more than 750 million users monthly.

The Evidence: According to cybersecurity researchers, the app can bypass users' cell phone security to monitor activities on other apps, check notifications, read private messages and change settings. Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at WithSecure, stated: "We haven't seen a mainstream app like this trying to escalate their privileges to gain access to things that they're not supposed to gain access to".

Privacy & Security Impact: Multiple cybersecurity experts identified the presence of malware on the Pinduoduo app that exploited vulnerabilities in Android operating systems. The app was designed to collect expansive data on user activities to create a comprehensive portrait of users' habits, interests and preferences.

Expert Action: We recommend avoiding apps that request excessive permissions and conducting security reviews of applications before installation, particularly for apps from regions with different data protection standards.

Always review app privacy policies and permission requests before installation. Consider using alternatives with stronger privacy protections when available.

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