12
That "free" weather app was selling my location data the whole time
I used this cool radar app for 3 years. Tracked storms near Denver. Then I read the privacy policy during a slow day. Turns out they sold my GPS coordinates to like 5 different data brokers. Uninstalled it right then. Anyone else find sketchy data sharing hiding in a basic app?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_drew11d ago
Wait, didn't you agree to that when you hit "accept" on the terms of service without reading it? Most free apps have to make money somehow, and selling data is how they keep the lights on. If you want real privacy, gotta pay for a premium app or just use the basic weather channel site.
4
patricia26211d ago
Maybe it's just me but I don't think a weather app knowing my zip code is the same as some social media platform tracking every click and selling my habits to advertisers. The average person probably doesn't care if WeatherBug knows they live in Ohio, that's not exactly sensitive info. Feels like there's a big difference between location data for weather and letting a free game app listen to your microphone for targeted ads. Idk, I just think people get a little dramatic about it sometimes.
6
jana88110d ago
I downloaded a free compass app once and found out later it was pinging my location every 15 minutes. Just switch to the NOAA weather site on your phone browser instead, no app needed. Or if you want an actual app, check PrivacySpy first to see how bad it is before you install.
4