I’ve had a game I’ve been playing on my phone for a year or so now. I noticed they made a sequel and checked it out. Now that the Apple App Store shows you pretty plainly an idea of what data the apps mine, I checked out the one I’ve had for a while. Reading their privacy policy, they state they have collected users basic info- name, email, phone number- but also information like drivers license and social security numbers. Am I screwed? Do I delete the app?
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There are two pieces to this puzzle. First, how does it affect you? Second, how does it affect society?
Your data can used for various purposes: ads, analytics, stalker apps, government/police overreach, research studies, hackers, and so on. Some data might be used immediately, but because this data is around a long time, it might be used in many years.
Society also suffers. Pervasive tracking creates a surveillance state. It also makes targeted advertising more popular, which can be used for political or capital gain, which is cyclical.
I would recommend deleting the app. Good on you for asking this question!
This is a big, complex problem. There are no silver bullets or entirely culpable individuals, nor is there a consensus on the perfect solution. Individuals, technologists, and lawmakers have roles to play.
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