A recent report has exposed Meta’s social media platforms for sharing users’ personal data with third-party entities. The study highlighted that a staggering 86% of personal data from Meta’s Threads, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger is being shared with external parties, leading to targeted advertising based on this information.
The analysis was conducted by The Money Mongers on the top 100 downloaded apps from the Apple App Store.
According to the report, Meta’s Threads app, positioned as an alternative to Twitter, has been identified as collecting 72% more personal data compared to Twitter. Additionally, the study pinpointed five specific apps—Threads, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and LinkedIn—as the primary collectors of user data, sharing a significant 82% of this data with third-party sources.
The Threads app, launched by Meta in July, initially surged with over 100 million users within a week. However, it witnessed a substantial decline, dropping to an 80% user decrease. To regain users, the company is introducing new features on the platform. The report also emphasized that seven out of ten apps are actively gathering user data.
The study further revealed that 64% of these apps share sensitive personal information such as contact numbers with external parties.
Moreover, the Money Mongers report elaborated on the methods these apps employ to collect data. It highlighted two primary data collection formats utilized by iPhone developers: third-party advertising and marketing. Most developers acquire users’ contact information and gather diverse details, including financial data, location, content preferences, and health and fitness information.
This investigation sheds light on the extensive data sharing practices within these apps, raising concerns about user privacy and data security in the digital realm.
