How mobile apps illegally share personal data (noyb.eu)

Article summary

The non-profit organization noyb has filed complaints against three mobile apps, Fnac, SeLoger, and MyFitnessPal, for allegedly collecting and sharing users' personal data without consent. The apps are said to access and share data, including Google's unique Advertising ID, device model, and local IP address, with third parties for analytics and advertising purposes. This practice is claimed to be unlawful under the ePrivacy Directive, which requires users' free, informed, specific, and unambiguous consent for data collection and storage. noyb is seeking deletion of the unlawfully processed data and potential fines for the companies.

Main themes

• mobile app privacy
• ePrivacy Directive
• data collection and consent
• alternative browsers and operating systems
• privacy-enhancing solutions
• regulatory enforcement

What commenters say

• Organizations like noyb are necessary to enforce privacy regulations because authorities are often underfunded or ineffective.
• Legislating a statutory amount for privacy violations could incentivize companies to respect users' privacy.
• The use of SDKs that phone home uncontrollably is a significant security and privacy issue.
• Progressive Web Apps are generally more private than installed apps because they are restricted by browser sandboxes.
• There is no foolproof way to prevent installed apps from collecting all user data, and even privacy-enhancing solutions like AdGuard have limitations.
• Some argue that Google's monopoly on web usage data is a bigger concern than individual apps collecting data.
• Others believe that using alternative browsers and operating systems, such as Brave and e/OS, can help protect user privacy.
• The line between necessary data collection for app functionality and invasive data collection for advertising purposes is often blurred.