A study by VPN provider Surfshark claims Meta collects significantly more user data than other major technology companies, analyzing privacy labels from 171 iOS applications published by Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. Meta's apps declared an average of 25 out of 35 possible data types they may collect, three times more than the seven or eight declared by Apple and Microsoft applications. Nine of Meta's 12 examined apps ranked in the top 40 most data-intensive applications.
The research relies on privacy information developers submit to Apple's App Store rather than independent technical analysis of actual data transmission. The study counts the number of data categories an app may collect, not the volume or frequency of collection, and does not indicate that every listed category is gathered from every user. This methodology means the findings reflect what companies disclose they might collect rather than verified collection practices.
All Meta apps examined declared collection of device IDs, product interactions, performance information, and crash data. Nine listed precise location data, which researchers argued exceeds likely functional requirements, while seven declared browsing history collection. Google apps, though listing fewer data types on average than Meta, dominated six App Store categories as most data-hungry: Photo & Video, Music, Entertainment, Utilities, Health & Fitness, and Developer Tools. Twenty-nine of 40 apps declaring the broadest data collection came from Google, which declared between 18 and 26 data types per app.
Amazon's Alexa emerged as the most data-intensive non-Meta application, listing 28 data types. Amazon apps commonly declared collection of device IDs, email addresses, names, performance information, product interactions, and crash data, with 11 listing precise location data. Google was overrepresented in the sample with 44 apps examined, more than any other publisher, which may skew comparative results.
Microsoft and Apple apps declared the fewest data types on average. Microsoft apps most commonly listed crash data, device IDs, email addresses, names, diagnostic and performance information, with two declaring browsing history. Among Apple apps, only Safari listed browsing history collection, while six declared precise location data. Surfshark research lead Dr. Luis Costa stated that when companies combine search history, purchase habits, and GPS coordinates across multiple applications, they build detailed profiles of user behavior and movement patterns.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/personal-tech/2026/08/18/study-finds-meta-and-google-mobile-apps-gorge-on-user-data/5289171