Nine out of 10 mobile health apps collect and track user data, according to a new global study.

The research published in the British Medical Journal conducted in-depth analysis of more than 20,000 mobile health apps on the Google Play Store, some of which require users to disclose sensitive health information, including step and calorie counters, apps that manage health conditions, symptom checkers and menstruation trackers.

Muhammad Ikram, a lecturer at the Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub, said the vast majority (88%) were using “tracking identifiers and cookies to track user activities on mobile devices, and some of these applications are actually using tracking across different platforms”.

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Tariq, S. (2021, June 16). Nine out of 10 health apps harvest user data, global study shows. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/17/nine-out-of-10-health-apps-harvest-user-data-global-study-shows