How Safe is My Information on Food Delivery Apps?

Who doesn’t love having food delivered to them? It’s great getting to click on a few things or simply tap your screen and then have food arrive. Like every service, there’s a cost associated with it. These apps require a lot of permissions, not to mention the sheer amount of information we freely provide and give to them before munching on our delivered goods. Whether you’re ordering food from an app or from a website, make sure that your phone is protected against phishing attempts and malicious websites mimicking food delivery services. Click here to activate anti-hacking on your phone: x

Read More: Is All Your Data Actually Gone If You Wipe Your Phone Clean?

Almost all food delivery applications require access to your precise location. While many scoff at this and deem it necessary, it really isn’t needed for the applications to function. There’s no reason we couldn’t just provide the desired address while ordering instead of having the application check for location and track information. Who knows what else the application is doing while checking location information? Food has been getting delivered for much longer than GPS technology and it has worked just fine without location access.

Many applications require a lot of permissions that are just as vague as they are concerning. One of these features is the ability to “receive data from the Internet.” Stop and think about what that could mean. The app may need some additional information, but you can always provide the needed information when you place your order. What information is it retrieving from the Internet, and why does it need to pull it from the Internet? It could be pulling personal information, shopping habits, or even cookies that reveal the websites you visit.

Another common permission that food ordering apps require is “View Network Connections.” This permission is also concerning because applications are now able to check information on how you’re connected to the Internet and find out any information on your connection. Again, this information isn’t needed, nor does it add anything to your experience. All it does is give just a little more power to the companies that create these apps and allow them to track you, obtain information, and even profit off of you based on the information they take from you.