Greedy apps collect more information than they should

Nearly 87 percent of Android and 60 percent of iOS apps request access to device functions unrelated to their performance, according to new research by NordVPN.

Researchers analyzed the most popular mobile apps globally in 18 categories. They found that up to 14 percent of apps collect more unnecessary than necessary data for the apps' performance and only eight percent collect no unnecessary data. On average, every fifth requested permission was not actually needed for the app’s functionality.

"A significant number of mobile apps that we use daily request access to device functions unrelated to their performance. And most users give the app license to spy without even reading the terms and conditions. Users should always consider whether the app needs certain data to do its job before tapping 'Accept,' because collected data could be used against our interest. It's especially important to be more attentive to some categories of apps which are more intrusive, such as social media or messaging apps," says Adrianus Warmenhoven, cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN.

The research shows that 42 percent of all apps ask for permissions related to user activities outside the actual app, which means that they aim to collect data about users across other applications and websites. In addition, 37 percent of the studied apps request access to the user’s location, 35 percent to the camera, 22 percent to the photo gallery, and 16 percent to the microphone.

Social networking apps are the worst offenders, requesting 10 unnecessary permissions on average, navigation apps ask for nine permissions, dating six, and messaging apps five.

Of those that you don't have to worry so much about, Android users can, perhaps surprisingly, be least concerned about gaming apps. These only request 10 permissions and ask for less than one unnecessary permission on average. Users of iOS can be confident about food and drink apps which ask for less than three permissions on average, productivity apps are in the lead though because they almost never collect unnecessary data.

Geographically, apps from East Asia ask for the highest number of permissions overall as well as unnecessary permissions -- Hong Kong and Taiwan dominate both the Android and iOS charts. At the same time, Android apps from Japan and Singapore also make a strong showing. Mexican apps make the lowest number of unnecessary permission requests and even the lowest number of permission requests overall for Android. For iOS, apps from Spain and the US make the least overall requests, while apps from Spain, the US, Italy, and Poland make the least number of unnecessary requests.

"This likely stems from two aspects. On the one hand, different regions have different regulatory environments. But at the same time, these numbers are influenced by the nature of the popular apps studied. East Asian countries are worse in terms of permissions because of the blend of the wide use of social media tools as well as manga and other media apps," adds Warmenhoven.

You can find out more, along with tips on how to protect yourself, on the NordVPN site.

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