Pixalate's Q3 2022 Missing Privacy Policy Report for Google and Apple Mobile App Stores: Over 608k Apps at Risk of Violating App Stores' Guidelines and Privacy Laws

Report reveals ~80% of apps with programmatic ads but no detected privacy policy share user location data with advertisers and/or data brokers, and 98% of Apple App Store apps with no detected privacy policy have been "abandoned" (not updated in 2+ years).

LONDON and PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pixalate, the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising, today released the Q3 2022 Missing Privacy Policy Report: Mobile Apps for apps available for download across the Apple App Store and Google Play Stores. 

Pixalate examined 5.2MN+ downloadable apps across the Apple and Google mobile app stores and found that 12% - over 608,000 - have no detected privacy policy, in violation of both the Apple and Google Play stores' app privacy guidelines as well as laws that mandate publishing a privacy policy, including CalOPPA, GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA.

Although this number is down compared to Q2 2022 (when there were 688,000+ apps with no detected privacy policy), hundreds of thousands of apps appear to remain in direct policy violation, leaving millions of users vulnerable to privacy exploits and exposing advertisers to compliance violations.

• 608k+ undetected privacy policy apps - 12% of all apps - across Google (484k+), Apple app stores (123k+) in Q3 2022
• 98%+ of Apple App Store apps with no detected privacy policy are abandoned (2+ years since last update) vs. 52% on Google in Q3 2022
• ~80% of apps with no detected privacy policy privacy and programmatic ads share user location data with advertisers and/or data brokers
• 45k+ apps with no detected privacy policy are likely child-directed, according to Pixalate

Pixalate's Q3 2022 Missing Privacy Policy Report: Mobile Apps includes:

• Google and Apple Store Analysis
• App Country of Registry Analysis
• App Category Analysis
• Likely Child-Directed App Analysis
• List of Top 10 Apps by Store

Download a free copy of the report here: Q3 2022 Missing Privacy Policy Report: Mobile Apps. You will also receive a list of the top 200 most popular apps with no detected privacy policy as of Q3 2022.

Pixalate is the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising. We work 24/7 to guard your reputation and grow your media value. Pixalate offers the only system of coordinated solutions across display, app, video, and CTV for better detection and elimination of ad fraud. Pixalate is an MRC-accredited service for the detection and filtration of sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) across desktop and mobile web, mobile in-app, and CTV advertising. www.pixalate.com

The content of this press release, and the Q3 2022 Missing Privacy Policy Report: Mobile Apps (the "Report"), reflect Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any data shared is grounded in Pixalate's proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. Pixalate is sharing this data not to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but, instead, to report findings and trends pertaining to mobile apps in the time period studied.

Media Contact: Liz Margolis, [email protected]

SOURCE Pixalate