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Investigation: popular analytics platform Sensor Tower has used VPN and ad-blocking apps on iOS and Android with 35M+ downloads to quietly collect data on users

Sensor Tower, a popular analytics platform for tech developers and investors, has been secretly collecting data from millions …

BuzzFeed News Craig Silverman

Discussion

  • @protonvpn @protonvpn on x
    A popular analytics platform secretly collected data from millions of people who installed its VPN and ad-blocking apps: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... ProtonVPN is different. Our apps are open source, and transparency is one of our guiding principles: https://protonvpn.com/..…
  • @mattbirchler Matt Birchler on x
    Sigh. This was inevitable, frankly. A VPN doesn't make you anonymous, it means you're trusting someone else with your data. https://twitter.com/...
  • @fstutzman Fred Stutzman on x
    So sketchy. We are a the point now where when you download anything free, you have to assume it is selling all of your data. https://twitter.com/...
  • @dabeard David Beard on x
    You turn to them to block ads. They secretly harvest your data. They never tell you who owns their apps—and what they want to do with your data. Apple and Google removed two of the apps from their stories after a journalist asked. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... by @CraigSilver…
  • @romaindillet Romain Dillet on x
    I hope this is just the first step because Sensor Tower and App Annie are messed up companies. They run spying networks in order to extort VC money from wealthy startups so that they have more insights on competitors https://twitter.com/...
  • @alecstapp @alecstapp on x
    “Free” third-party apps are the biggest threat to your privacy because they actually do sell your data to make money https://twitter.com/...