We share our location, contacts, and browsing history with apps every single day without thinking twice – and almost none of that time passes without data being collected.
When traveling, this matters more than most of us realize. When you’re abroad, you’re leaning harder on apps than you ever would at home: booking accommodation, navigating unfamiliar streets, hailing rides, finding somewhere to eat.
New research from the team at Holafly has analysed Apple App Store privacy labels across social, travel, and AI apps to reveal exactly which ones collect the most – and how much of it is tied directly to your identity.
Headline findings:
- Meta’s apps top the everyday rankings – Threads, Instagram and Facebook each collect 21 data points, every single one linked to the user.
- TikTok follows closely with 20 data points, 13 linked to identity.
- In travel, Booking.com and Expedia tie for the top spot with 16 data points each, with every search you run logged and linked to you.
- Uber stands out not for volume but for precision – its real-time, timestamped location data makes it one of the most revealing apps in the study.
- ChatGPT leads the AI assistants with 17 data points, a higher user-linked count than several social apps, raising questions about how much travel-intent data is being captured in casual conversation.
View the full study here: https://esim.holafly.com/inside/market-reports/apps-that-collect-the-most-data/
The top apps collecting most of your data
Threads, Instagram and Facebook – 21 data points each
Meta’s three platforms share the top spot, each collecting 21 data points in total, 14 linked directly to the user. That covers contacts, location, browsing and search history, financial information, health and fitness data, and more. Seven data types are used to track you across other platforms – and notably, not a single data point falls outside the user-linked category.
TikTok – 20 data points
TikTok collects 20 data points, 13 linked to users and 7 used for tracking, matching Meta’s tracking score. The only real distinction: a single diagnostics point isn’t tied to identity.
ChatGPT – 17 data points
ChatGPT collects 17 data points, 14 linked to identity – a higher user-linked count than many social apps in the study. With more people using it as a first port of call for travel planning, the volume of intent data being captured is worth a closer look.
The travel apps that collect most of your data
Booking.com and Expedia – 16 data points each
The two biggest booking platforms are identical in their data collection, with 11 points linked to identity and five used to track you. Every search, for example, destination, dates, price range, property type, feeds a profile that extends well beyond the booking itself.
Uber – 15 data points
Uber’s standout isn’t volume, it’s precision: 11 of 15 data points are linked to users, with location data that’s precise, real-time, and timestamped.
TripAdvisor – 15 data points
TripAdvisor matches Uber on total data points, but five of its 15 data types are used to track you across other apps and websites – one of the highest proportions in the entire travel dataset.
The report also breaks down the full top five in each category, plus AI assistants, along with practical tips on limiting exposure while travelling – from rethinking public Wi-Fi to auditing location permissions.
You can find the full roundup here: https://esim.holafly.com/inside/market-reports/apps-that-collect-the-most-data/
