Which chat application collects the most data from the user?

The 9to5mac portal has published interesting information about applications that are used for communication. Now we can look at what information a particular application collects from the user. The data is from Apple and applies to iPhones, but in the case of Android smartphones it should be very similar. Chat applications can collect really large amounts of data.

Web 9to5mac has looked at the 4 most popular applications – Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp a Facebook Messenger.

Signal

The signal does not collect any data. The only information the application has access to is the phone number. However, this number does not link to the user’s identity.

iMessage

We are not very interested in Apple’s own reading tool from Apple, but at least we have a better overview. It collects the following data:

• email addresses
• telephone number
• search history
• device identification number

WhatsApp

• device identification number
• user ID
• advertising data
• shopping history
• approximate location (not based on GPS, not completely accurate)
• telephone number
• E-mail adress
• contacts
• product interaction
• failure data
• performance data
• other diagnostic information
• Payment Information
• customer support
• other user content

Facebook Messenger

Applications must clearly show what data they use in what way. Some data appears in multiple categories. This was not a problem in the above applications, but in the case of Messenger it is no longer so simple. The list is extremely long here, so we will not list it in its entirety. However, we enclose a screenshot that contains all the important information.

The fact that big technology companies know a lot about us is nothing new. Commonly available chat applications are free, but not completely. In exchange for not paying for them, we have our user data, which can later be used for various purposes, such as better targeting of advertising and the like. And that’s how developers of these applications make money. Most users do not even read the list of data that a particular application collects. And then he is surprised at the publication of this data.