【Punjabi Archives】

So we all know FaceApp is Punjabi Archivessketchy. But uniquelysketchy? Not so fast.

Years after its rocky and arguably racist start, FaceApp once again jumped to viral fame this month before users pointed out the selfie-filter app had a questionable privacy policy. People were shocked (shocked!) that the app, among other unsettling practices, gathered location data.

While there's something decidedly unpleasant about realizing only too late that the app on your phone is too invasive for your liking, here's the thing: Pretty much all popular free apps are invasive to some degree. In fact, many of the free applications you likely have on your smartphone have privacy policies that make FaceApp's look good.

Don't believe us? Let's take a look. A stroll over to app analytics service App Annie shows the top free apps, by downloads, on iPhones and Androids around the world. Narrowing the search field down to just the U.S., and focusing solely on today, gives us a snapshot of the app-downloading ecosystem.

FaceApp is still standing strong in the top 10 of free downloads for both the iPhone and from the Google Play store, but it's the other apps we're looking at today.

Take Jelly Shift, the number fourth and third most downloaded apps today in the U.S. on the iPhone and from the Google Play store, respectively, according to App Annie. Its privacy policy states that it's after your social media friends list.

"If you log into the App using a third party site or platform such as Facebook, Apple Game Center and Google Sign-In, we access information about you from that site or platform, such as your screen name, profile information and friend lists[.]"

Have anything private in your Facebook profile? Maybe you shouldn't.

Or how about Mr Bullet - Spy Puzzles. The Google Play app's privacy policy lays out information the developer may collect on you: "your name, email address and cover photos (if you have connected to Facebook or Google+), and your general (city/country) location (based on your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address)."

What's more, the privacy policy states that the service "may allow advertising networks of our affiliates and partner networks to collect information about your mobile device to enable them to serve targeted ads to you."

In other works, random third-party companies might be getting access to your data through your free app downloads. While that sounds obvious, what may not be immediately obvious is that it's not necessarily the random company that manufactured the app that's doing the collecting. Consider that the next time you try to parse an app's privacy policy.

OnPipe, an Android hit, has some interesting notes in its privacy policy as well. The company says it may collect, among other things, location data, "statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns," and your "applications downloaded."

Starting to get the picture?

Essentially, all free apps hoover up a distressingly large amount of users' personal data. Some definitely have better privacy polices than others, and there's not always something nefarious going on, but getting shocked about FaceApp's perceived transgressions misses the forest for the trees.

The online ecosystem, and most of the apps it encompasses, is tracking you in some way or another. So think twice before downloading that next free app — you future self will thank you.