Made by experts and included 200 apps

Study: "YouTube" and "Tik Tok" are at the forefront of the social networks that spy on its users

YouTube and TikTok collect more users' personal data on their mobile apps than other social networks, this conclusion was reached by experts from URL Genius.

In total, the study by the company’s experts examined 200 apps from 20 app store categories. Among the social networks examined were YouTube, Tik Tok, Twitter, Telegram, Linkedin, Instagram, and Instagram. WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger and Snapchat, where app activity was tracked using the built-in iOS function (App Activity Recording), which allows you to track the parties with whom you interact.

According to the report, YouTube and Tik Tok were the most active, with 14 outbound connections each.

The report added, "This is twice the number of other apps we reviewed (6 contacts on average). The sites, WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger and Snapchat, were ranked as the least social by a single contact," according to CNBC, quoting the report.

According to analysts, 10 out of 14 YouTube followers were associated with the video service itself.

This means that the platform primarily tracks geolocation, browsing history, and other user activities for its own benefit, such as displaying relevant ads.

As for the situation with "Tik Tok" it was not clear, according to experts, the social network, which contains short videos, allows third-party trackers to track user activity, so it is impossible to determine how this data will be used in the future.

 In the case of TikTok, 13 out of 14 were third party trackers, and the monitoring didn't stop even despite the ban in the app's settings.

In the past year, TikTok has been criticized for its opaque policies on the collection and use of personal data, especially with regard to minors.

In this context, the European Consumer Protection Organization (BEUC) has complained that TikTok is "unable to protect children" from "hidden ads and inappropriate content", and that its "vague" terms of service do not reveal how personal information is processed.

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