The most popular free festive season apps share five times more data with third parties than paid apps, according to a new Surfshark study. Key insights from the report:
- Notable among the most data-hungry holiday season apps are Monopoly Go!, Hexa Sort, Bubble Pop!, and ElfYourself;
- Monopoly Go! leads the list with 13 types of data collected — 13 linked to the user and 10 actively tracked (shared with data brokers or third parties for targeted advertising), including approximate location data;
- Similarly, Hexa Sort collects 13 types of data, 10 of which are tracked, including location and purchase history;
- Out of the most popular holiday-themed gaming apps analyzed, five are specifically Christmas-related, which are often downloaded during the holiday season and quickly forgotten afterward. These apps could be continuously tracking and sharing data with third parties, including coarse and sometimes precise location.
“Mobile app developers are increasingly taking regulations and data protection requirements into account. While gaming apps often requested broad access to user data in the past, today developers are more likely to evaluate what information is truly necessary — such as whether permissions like access to location data are genuinely required,” says Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark.
He adds: ”However, our research shows that free apps share significantly more data with third parties compared to paid apps, highlighting the importance of evaluating privacy implications. A responsible approach to data protection might encourage users to opt for paid versions of apps, look for alternative apps, or consider whether the app can function without granting permissions that may not be truly necessary. If such options aren’t provided, it raises important questions about the intent behind the data collection.”
