How do “people finder” and other websites acquire addresses, phone numbers and other private information? One way is by gathering that information from apps that collect it.
The company PureVPN recently published an article online entitled "8 Worst Apps for Privacy You Need to Avoid in 2022." Not surprisingly, the list included some of the most popular apps available, now used by millions of people.
Among those selected: Siri (“It was revealed that whatever you’re talking about with anyone while having Siri by your side is being recorded and listened to by third parties”), DoorDash (“continuously listens to personal information to re-target the users based on their preferred foods or places”) and the game Angry Birds (“If it is free, then it must be using you to make revenue”).
These apps disclose their policy regarding how they collect user information in terms of service and other agreements that 99% of their users scroll past before checking the “I understand” box. And even those that do not sell information can still be hacked or compromised. And while not selling your private data may be a company policy, it does not prevent an unscrupulous employee from leaking that content surreptitiously in exchange for money.
What can you do? Be cautious about the apps you choose to download. And make sure you have online privacy protection so that if and when your private data does turn up online, it will be quickly located and removed.
