• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Sunday, June 22, 2025
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Tech | Business | Economy
  • News
  • Tech
    • DisruptiveTECH
    • ConsumerTech
    • How To
    • TechTAINMENT
  • Business
    • Telecoms
    • Mobility
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • StartUPs
      • Chidiverse
    • TE Insights
    • Security
  • Partners
  • Economy
    • Finance
    • Fintech
    • Digital Assets
    • Personal Finance
    • Insurance
  • Features
    • IndustryINFLUENCERS
    • Guest Writer
    • EventDIARY
    • Editorial
    • Appointment
  • TECHECONOMY TV
  • Apply
  • TBS
  • BusinesSENSE For SMEs
  • Chidiverse
  • News
  • Tech
    • DisruptiveTECH
    • ConsumerTech
    • How To
    • TechTAINMENT
  • Business
    • Telecoms
    • Mobility
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • StartUPs
      • Chidiverse
    • TE Insights
    • Security
  • Partners
  • Economy
    • Finance
    • Fintech
    • Digital Assets
    • Personal Finance
    • Insurance
  • Features
    • IndustryINFLUENCERS
    • Guest Writer
    • EventDIARY
    • Editorial
    • Appointment
  • TECHECONOMY TV
  • Apply
  • TBS
  • BusinesSENSE For SMEs
  • Chidiverse
No Result
View All Result
Tech | Business | Economy
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home News

Data Privacy Trends: Shopping, Food Delivery Apps Lead in User Tracking

Among shopping and food delivery apps, Amazon Shopping and Wish collect the most data

by Peter Oluka
December 26, 2023
in News
3
Data Privacy Trends and App trackers report, numbers and technological development | Digital Transformation
Apps

Apps

UBA
Advertisements

In a revealing study of 100 popular apps, Surfshark’s Research Hub uncovers a concerning trend in data privacy.

Key Findings

  • Shopping and food delivery apps, notably Amazon Shopping and Wish, are the most data-hungry among various app categories.
  • Amazon Shopping collects the most data points in its category, while Wish leads in linking and tracking user data.
  • On average, shopping and delivery apps collect 21 out of 32 possible data points, with 95% linked to the user’s identity.
  • Facebook and Instagram top the list of privacy-invasive apps, collecting all 32 data points, as defined by Apple.

The research highlights shopping and food delivery apps, particularly Amazon Shopping and Wish, as leading categories in user data collection, posing significant privacy concerns.

More than a third of shopping & food delivery category apps’ data is tracked (such as shared with a third-party advertising network or data brokers).

Research is aided by a free App privacy checker tool where users can select the specific apps they have on their phone and receive a report on the extent of data collection.

“Analyzing 100 popular apps on the App Store, we’ve found a concerning trend: nearly 20% of collected data is used for tracking. Such tracked data can be shared with third-party advertisers or data brokers, who use it to deliver personalized ads targeting the users, or aid companies in market research,” says Agneska Sablovskaja, Lead Researcher at Surfshark. “Understanding an app’s privacy policy is crucial for safeguarding digital autonomy.”

Data Privacy and App trackers report-
Advertisements
MTN ADS
Data Privacy Trends (Source: Surfshark’s Research Hub)

Shopping and food delivery apps collect more data points than average  

On average, shopping and delivery apps collect 21 out of 32 possible data points. Moreover, these apps link the most data to the user — 95% of collected data points are linked to the user’s identity.

According to the data privacy trends report, such apps tend to use collected data to track the user the most — a third of collected data points are used for these purposes.

Wish could be named the most data-hungry app within shopping & food delivery apps category, collecting 24 out of 32 data points, linking almost all data points to the user’s identity, and using over a third of data to track its users. That’s considerably more than the average of 15 collected data points across all 100 examined apps.

Around 40% of data points collected by Wish and DoorDash are used to track the user, like email address, precise location, and purchase history.

Out of the analyzed shopping & food delivery apps, only one — Amazon — does not use data to track its users. But it collects most of the unique data about the user (25 of 32 possible data points), and also, also all the collected data is linked to the user’s identity.

If we look at food delivery apps specifically, Uber Eats stands out as tracking (sharing with third parties) the most data points out of the collected (12 out of 21), such as phone number, physical address, search history and more.

GrubHub tracks 11, Instacart – 10. 10 analyzed Shopping & food delivery apps were: Amazon Shopping, eBay Marketplace, AliExpress, Etsy, Wish. DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Deliveroo, Instacart.

Around half of the 100 analyzed apps collect search history and precise location

Data Privacy Trends and App trackers report-
Source: Surfshark’s Research Hub

1523 data points are collected across 100 of the most popular apps. Statistically speaking, that’s an average of 15 unique data points per app out of the 32 unique data points defined by Apple.

Around 90% of the apps collect usage, diagnostic, and identifier data such as product interaction, user ID, device ID, crash and performance data. Most are essential for their app functionality.

Two-thirds of the apps collect your name and coarse location, and nearly half collect your precise location.

Coarse location is a more general estimation of where you are, while precise location is more detailed and accurate. Over a third of the apps collect your contacts, and a fifth collect your emails or text messages and browsing history.

Facebook and Instagram are the two most privacy-invasive apps. Both apps collect all 32 data points defined by Apple and are the only two to do so. Signal is also the only social media and messaging app to  make the top 10 most privacy-sensitive list.

It is the second least data-hungry app, collecting just 1 data point (phone number) that is not linked to you or used to track you.

Before downloading apps, it is recommended to check the developer’s reputation and data retention policies and pay attention to constant permission requests to access contact list, camera, storage, location, and microphone and limit the app’s access to information only when the app is in use.

Loading

Author

  • Peter Oluka
    Peter Oluka

    Peter Oluka (@peterolukai), editor of Techeconomy, is a multi-award winner practicing Journalist. Peter’s media practice cuts across Media Relations | Marketing| Advertising, other Communications interests. Contact: peter.oluka@techeconomy.ng

    View all posts
0Shares
Tags: AliExpressAmazon ShoppingData PrivacyDeliverooeBay MarketplaceEtsyGrubHubInstacartUber EatsWish. DoorDash
Peter Oluka

Peter Oluka

Peter Oluka (@peterolukai), editor of Techeconomy, is a multi-award winner practicing Journalist. Peter’s media practice cuts across Media Relations | Marketing| Advertising, other Communications interests. Contact: peter.oluka@techeconomy.ng

Next Post
5G Standalone (SA) software stack

Unveiling New 5G Breakthroughs

Comments 3

  1. Pingback: Telegram View-Once: Enhanced Privacy Controls and Premium User Upgrades
  2. Pingback: SAFER INTERNET | The Growing Importance of Privacy amongst Customers & How Businesses Should Cater to it - Tech | Business | Economy
  3. Pingback: How Cybersecurity Research Empowers Law Enforcement Against Cybercriminal Goliaths - Tech | Business | Economy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recommended

FinTechs Vs Traditional Banks

Tyranny of the Mighty – Traditional Banks vs Fintechs in Nigeria 

2 years ago
FXTM Academy

FXTM Academy Focuses on Democratizing E-Trading

9 months ago

Popular News

    Connect with us

    • About
    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • Contact Us

    © 2025 TECHECONOMY.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • News
    • Tech
      • DisruptiveTECH
      • ConsumerTech
      • How To
      • TechTAINMENT
    • Business
      • Telecoms
      • Mobility
      • Environment
      • Travel
      • StartUPs
        • Chidiverse
      • TE Insights
      • Security
    • Partners
    • Economy
      • Finance
      • Fintech
      • Digital Assets
      • Personal Finance
      • Insurance
    • Features
      • IndustryINFLUENCERS
      • Guest Writer
      • EventDIARY
      • Editorial
      • Appointment
    • TECHECONOMY TV
    • Apply
    • TBS
    • BusinesSENSE For SMEs

    © 2025 TECHECONOMY.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    Translate »
    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.