{"id":382098,"date":"2026-04-04T19:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T19:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/382098\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T19:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T19:38:07","slug":"fbi-warns-some-foreign-apps-could-collect-americans-data-even-if-you-never-download-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/382098\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI warns some foreign apps could collect Americans\u2019 data \u2014 even if you never download them"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Fox
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Americans\u2019 personal data could be collected and stored overseas \u2014 even if they\u2019ve never downloaded a foreign-developed app themselves \u2014 according to a new\u00a0FBI alert\u00a0<\/a>warning about the risks tied to popular mobile platforms.<\/p>\n

That means information like a person\u2019s name, email address or phone number could be pulled from someone else\u2019s contact list and potentially stored abroad if a friend or family member grants an app access to their device.<\/p>\n

The warning comes after years of scrutiny over TikTok\u2019s ties to China, but the FBI alert suggests the concerns extend beyond any single platform to a broader range of foreign-developed apps.<\/p>\n

In a public service announcement, the FBI said many widely used apps developed overseas, particularly those tied to China, may access extensive data once permissions are granted, including address books containing information on both users and non-users.<\/p>\n

The bureau also warned that some apps may continue\u00a0collecting data in the background<\/a>\u00a0after access is granted and, in certain cases, store that information on servers in countries where local laws could allow government access.<\/p>\n

Robert \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\u201cDeveloper companies can store collected data on users\u2019 private information and address books, such as names, e-mail addresses, user IDs, physical addresses, and phone numbers of their stored contacts,\u201d the FBI said. \u201cThe app can persistently collect data and users\u2019 private information throughout the device, not just within the app or while the app is active.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FBI did not name specific companies, but the warning could apply to a range of widely used apps developed by Chinese firms \u2014 including video-editing platform CapCut, <\/a>shopping apps like Temu and SHEIN, and social media<\/a> platforms such as Lemon8 \u2014 several of which rank among the most downloaded apps in the United States.<\/p>\n

prima91 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

U.S. officials have long warned that data collected by Chinese-linked platforms could be used to build detailed profiles of Americans, map personal and professional networks, and potentially support intelligence-gathering efforts, particularly if accessed under China\u2019s national security<\/a> laws.<\/p>\n

The FBI added that apps operating in China are subject to the country\u2019s national security laws, which could allow the government to access user data.<\/p>\n

Apps like CapCut, Temu and SHEIN are among widely used Chinese-developed platforms that could be affected REUTERS<\/p>\n

The FBI also pointed to possible warning signs that an app may be collecting more data than expected, including unusual battery drain, spikes in data usage, or unauthorized account activity after installation \u2014 indicators that could suggest background data collection or other suspicious behavior.<\/p>\n

The bureau urged users to limit unnecessary data sharing, download\u00a0apps only from official app stores, and regularly review permissions granted to mobile platforms. The bureau also warned that apps obtained from third-party sites may carry malware designed to gain unauthorized access to personal data.<\/p>\n

TannySolt \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Years of scrutiny over\u00a0TikTok culminated in a 2026 deal\u00a0that forced its Chinese parent company to relinquish control of U.S. operations to an American-led group in order to address fears over data access and national security.<\/p>\n

The FBI\u2019s latest warning suggests those risks may extend beyond a single platform to a broader range of foreign-developed apps used by millions of Americans.<\/p>\n

The Chinese embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Americans\u2019 personal data could be collected and stored overseas \u2014 even if they\u2019ve never downloaded a foreign-developed app…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[114,285,170460,61,60,202,72514,216,80,76788,6116,268],"class_list":{"0":"post-382098","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-fbi","10":"tag-fbi-investigations","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-mobile","14":"tag-shein","15":"tag-tech","16":"tag-technology","17":"tag-temu","18":"tag-tiktok","19":"tag-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}