digital democracy|digital privacy

How data-hungry are Big Tech companies?

We use Big Tech apps every day to chat, work, and navigate our world. But at what cost to our privacy? In our latest study, we analyzed 171 Apple App Store apps from the world's five largest tech giants: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.

By examining 35 unique data categories, from precise location and browsing history to purchase data linked to your identity, we’ve uncovered exactly which companies are the most "data-hungry" and which are more privacy-friendly.

In this study, we analyzed 171 Apple App Store apps developed by five Big Tech companies: Google (44 apps), Apple (41), Microsoft (40), Amazon (34), and Meta (12). We found that Meta was the most data-hungry company, with its apps averaging 25 of 35 possible data types collected. That compares with averages of 17 for Google, 12 for Amazon, 8 for Microsoft, and 7 for Apple, meaning Meta’s apps collected more than three times as many data types on average as Apple’s and Microsoft’s apps.

The seven most data-hungry apps in our study were all developed by Meta: Meta AI collected 33 data types, followed by Meta Horizon, Meta Business Suite, Meta Ads Manager, Messenger, Forum, and Facebook with 32 each. Notably, all of this data is linked directly to your identity. By combining this massive amount of data across multiple apps, Meta can analyze your searches, purchases, and location to build highly detailed user profiles and target you with hyper-specific ads.

Google dominated the top 40 most data-hungry apps in our study, accounting for 29, compared with 9 from Meta and 2 from Amazon. The Google apps in this group collected between 18 and 26 data types each. Although Google’s apps collected fewer data types on average than Meta’s, its presence across the ranking highlights the scale of data collection throughout its extensive app ecosystem. Meanwhile, Amazon Alexa was the most data-hungry non-Meta app, collecting 28 data types.

Business was the largest app category in our study, comprising 38 apps, including Microsoft Teams, Amazon Shipping, and Google Chat. Within this category, Meta was again the most data-hungry company: its Business apps collected an average of 25 data types, compared with 16 for Google, 12 for Amazon, and 9 for Microsoft.

Meta

Despite having only 12 apps spread across five categories, Meta ranks as the most data-hungry developer in four of them: Social Networking, Business, Productivity, and Adventure. The only exception is the Lifestyle category, where Meta ranks third. Its only app in this category, Meta Viewpoints, still collects a substantial 18 unique data types.

Across all its apps, Meta universally collects device IDs, product interactions, and performance and crash data. In addition, nine Meta apps collect precise location data, even though an approximate location would often be sufficient for basic functionality. Furthermore, seven Meta apps collect browsing history, meaning they collect information about content a user has viewed outside the app, such as websites.

Google

Google had the largest app portfolio in our study, with 44 apps across 12 categories. Although Google’s apps collected fewer data types on average than Meta’s, Google ranked as the most data-hungry developer in six categories: Photo & Video, Music, Entertainment, Utilities, Health & Fitness, and Developer Tools. Google was also the only analyzed developer represented in Navigation, with Google Maps collecting 26 data types.

Across all of its apps, Google collects device IDs, diagnostics data, and performance data. Most Google apps also collect these data types: search history, purchase history, photos or videos, physical address, email, name, coarse location, and crash data. In addition, eight Google apps, including Google Chrome and Google Gemini, also collect browsing history.

Amazon

Amazon had 34 apps across 10 categories, including 19 in the Business category alone. In this category, Amazon ranked third, with its apps collecting an average of 12 data types. By comparison, Meta’s Business apps collected 25 data types on average, followed by Google with 16 and Microsoft with 9.

Precise location data was collected by 11 Amazon apps, while browsing history was collected by one – Amazon Shopper. Amazon apps also commonly collect device IDs, email addresses, names, performance data, product interaction data, and crash data.

Microsoft

Microsoft had 40 apps across 12 categories. Productivity accounted for the largest share, with 13 apps, followed by Business with 11 and Utilities with 4. Microsoft consistently ranked either the least or second-least data-hungry developer across app categories. The lone exception was the Graphics & Design category, where Microsoft Designer collected 12 data types and ranked first. However, this was a narrow category in which Apple was the only other developer represented, with its apps collecting an average of 10 data types.

The data types most commonly collected by Microsoft apps were crash data, device IDs, email addresses, names, diagnostic data, performance data, product interaction data, and user IDs. Six Microsoft apps also collected precise location data, while two collected browsing history.

Apple

With 41 apps, Apple had the second-largest portfolio in our study and covered the widest range of categories: 15 in total. Utilities accounted for the largest share of Apple’s portfolio, with 13 apps collecting an average of six data types. By comparison, Google’s Utilities apps collected an average of 17 data types. Apple consistently ranked as the least data-hungry developer across most categories, with only a couple of exceptions.

Safari was the only Apple app in our study that collected browsing history, while six Apple apps collected precise location data. Other data types commonly collected by Apple include device IDs, email addresses, and performance data.

Stay informed

Our findings reveal a massive disparity in how Big Tech treats your personal information: while some companies collect only what is necessary for an app to function, others are building highly detailed digital profiles of your every move.

Your digital identity is your most valuable asset. By staying informed about how Big Tech collects and uses your information, you can take back control of your privacy.

Methodology and sources

For this study, conducted in August 2026, we analyzed 171 apps listed on the Apple App Store developed by five Big Tech companies¹: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. The final sample included 44 Google apps, 41 Apple apps, 40 Microsoft apps, 34 Amazon apps, and 12 Meta apps.

Apps were selected from the following Apple App Store developer listings: Apple, Google, Meta Platforms, Microsoft Corporation, and AMZN Mobile LLC. We included apps listed in the iPhone and iPad sections, along with apps appearing under Apple Vision, the Best of Google bundle, and Microsoft’s app bundles. Apps listed under other developer accounts were excluded, even if they were owned by one of the five analyzed companies. For example, Instagram and WhatsApp were excluded because they were not listed under the Meta Platforms developer listing used for this study.

We reviewed each app’s privacy disclosures on its Apple App Store product page and recorded the total number of data types each app reported collecting. We then calculated company-level averages to compare how extensively apps from each company collect data overall. We also ranked individual apps by the number of data types collected to identify the most data-hungry apps in the sample.

To add further context, we grouped apps by App Store category and compared average data collection levels.

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