Messaging apps will kiss you on one cheek and slap you on the other with E2EE
Messenger, Line, and WeChat will happily lure users with the promise of end-to-end encrypted messaging, while quietly creating highly detailed profiles of their lives.
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End-to-end encryption protects message content, but apps like Messenger, Line, and WeChat can still collect extensive amounts of user data.
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Messenger is presented as the most data-hungry app, with Line and WeChat close behind, collecting data far beyond what is needed for basic messaging.
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The addition of AI features may increase privacy risks as companies could use even more user data for profiling, advertising, analytics, and AI training.
Many popular messaging apps like Meta’s Messenger and WhatsApp have enabled end-to-end encryption, offering a level of security and privacy.
However, the reality is that big tech companies like Meta are just as invasive as ever, and arguably even more data-hungry than before, in the wake of the AI race.
A new study by Surfshark (which belongs to the same company group as Cybernews) shows that old culprits like Meta are continually collecting user data used beyond app functionality.
Facebook Messenger collects the most data
Messenger collects the most data, harvesting 32 out of 35 data types, with the majority (30) being used for purposes other than using the app.
For reference, the average number of data types collected by apps on the App Store is 17, and at least 4 apps in the study collected more than that.
Messenger collects a range of data types from precise location to browsing history, and purchase history to health data.
The reason for this goes beyond functionality and is likely a way for Meta to profile users for targeted advertising.
Line wants to know where you are
The next most data-hungry messaging app is Line, popular in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Line collects 26 data types linked directly to the user, ranging from precise location data to email or text message data and purchase history.
Line is used by roughly 178 million people in 2026, with 92 million users in Japan alone, according to Business of Apps.
Messenger and Line are the most data-hungry apps according to Surfshark, as they collect excessive amounts of data, which “can be exploited for advertising, product personalization, analytics, or other purposes.”
On top of that, Line is one of the only apps that might collect data for user tracking.
Chinese “super-app” is super invasive
The third most invasive app is the Chinese messaging app WeChat, which collects 22 data types that can be used for advertising and various other purposes.
The study also noted that most of the apps offer AI features, which “could potentially increase privacy risks,” as AI is being developed “at a rapid pace,” this is raising “significant risks for users of E2EE applications,” according to researchers at New York University and Cornell University.
WeChat has just announced plans to integrate a new AI agent into China’s most used app.
The app’s parent company's stocks jumped by 10% following the announcement, and the AI could be launched publicly as soon as this month, according to the South China Morning Post.
However, WeChat could potentially end up collecting more data from users to help train its AI model, making the app more invasive.
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