11 Everyday Apps Track User Activity for Ads and Analytics

2 articles · Updated · Boy Genius Report · May 25

Eleven widely used apps — including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Amazon, YouTube, X, Uber, Google, Spotify, Snapchat and TikTok — collect user activity data, prompting guidance on tightening privacy settings.
That tracking supports personalized advertising, third-party data sharing, analytics, product personalization and app optimization, with users advised to disable ad personalization, revoke app permissions and disconnect linked services.
Meta apps let users clear and block off-platform activity, while Google, YouTube and X offer dashboards to turn off histories, personalized ads and some data-sharing features; several also provide data-download tools.
The privacy concerns are framed against past controversies, including Facebook's 87 million-user Cambridge Analytica scandal, a 533 million-user Facebook data leak, LinkedIn's BrowserGate claims and Spotify's €5.4 million GDPR fine.
The broader takeaway is that routine smartphone apps now gather enough behavioral, location and account data that privacy management increasingly requires active, app-by-app controls.

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