Growing App Privacy Issues as "You are the Product"

Privacy issues related to user data are bound to grow as data about users becomes the actual revenue foundation for all applications offered to users "for free." Without the data, there is no way to create a revenue stream. 


Put another way, a "free app's business" is you; your data; your preferences, habits and interests. 


A Wall Street Journal examination of 100 of the most popular Facebook apps found that some seek the email addresses, current location and sexual preference, among other details, not only of app users but also of their Facebook friends. 


One Yahoo service powered by Facebook requests access to a person's religious and political leanings as a condition for using it, the Wall Street Journal found. 

The most common types of information the 100 apps asked for included: 

Age Range (101 apps)

Facebook ID (101 apps)

Full Name (101 apps)

Gender (101 apps)

List of Friends (101 apps)

Locale (101 apps)

Networks (101 apps)

Profile Photo (101 apps)

Email Address (70 apps)

Actions and Scores Publishing (53 apps)

Birthday (34 apps)

Content and Comments Publishing (34 apps)

Data When Offline (21 apps)

Current Location (14 apps)

Liked Pages (13 apps)

News Feed (12 apps)

Friends' Birthdays (12 apps)

Photos (9 apps)

Friends' Current Location (9 apps)

"About Me" (8 apps)

Education History (8 apps)

Interests (8 apps)

Status Messages (8 apps)

Activities (7 apps)

Friends' Education History (7 apps)

Friends' Photos (7 apps)

Friends' Work History (7 apps)

Facebook Chat Integration (6 apps)

Hometown (6 apps)

Work History (6 apps)

Friends' Hometown (6 apps)

Friends' Status Updates (6 apps)

Religion and Politics (5 apps)

Website URL (5 apps)

Friends' "About Me" (5 apps)

Friends' Website URLs (5 apps)

Events (4 apps)

Groups (4 apps)

Friends' Relationships (4 apps)

Friends' Activities (4 apps)

Friends' Events (4 apps)

Friends' Interests (4 apps)

Relationship Preferences (3 apps)

Relationships (3 apps)

Check-Ins (3 apps)

Videos (3 apps)

Friends' Relationship Preferences (3 apps)

Friends' Religion and Politics (3 apps)

Friends' Check-ins (3 apps)

Friends' Groups (3 apps)

Friends' Liked Pages (3 apps)

Friends' Notes (3 apps)

Friends' Videos (3 apps)

Games Activity (2 apps)

Notes (2 apps)

Notifications (2 apps)

Page Management (2 apps)

Friends' Online Presence (2 apps)

Facebook Messages (1 app)

App Notifications (1 app)

Check-in Publishing (1 app)

Event Management (1 app)

Event RSVPing (1 app)

Friend List Management (1 app)

Friend Lists (1 app)

Friend Requests (1 app)

Friends' Games Activity (1 app)