All e-commerce apps collect data about you when you create an account and visit the app’s homepage. This data can range from your precise physical location, address and device ID, to your search history, payment information and contacts.
Some apps use this data to track you across apps and websites, to understand performance, and to target you with ads.
Some of this data is linked to your identity, others not: the connection depends on the application you are using. In recent years, people have become increasingly concerned about how their data is stored, and are particularly wary of data storage by China-based apps.
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While this concern may be justified, it is important to remember that apps can collect and store your data with few limits, such as user data of US citizens. is not federally protected under a single statute. As a result, data collection remains unregulated in most states.
Because US user data is not federally regulated, Temu could access your credit history, Walmart may collect your biometric information (fingerprints, facial geometry and retinal imaging), and Amazon may collect your voice recordings when talking to Alexa.
As US user data is not fully protected, it is up to each individual to decide how much data they want to give up – and which platforms they want to give it to.