BALTIMORE, MD—A new report by cloud network provider Elevate has ranked the most popular apps that are putting users’ privacy at risk, with social media giant Facebook coming in first due to an alarming record of data breaches.
The study analyzed major platforms based on confirmed breach incidents, the total number of users affected, data-sharing policies, and the volume of permissions each app requests from a user’s device. The findings underscore a major disconnect: while 65% of adults worldwide use social media, fewer than 15% understand how their personal data is handled by these platforms.
Facebook Leads with 1.4 Billion Users Affected
According to Elevate’s research, Facebook ranks as the platform with the most precarious data security record.
- The platform has suffered five separate confirmed breaches that collectively exposed data from an estimated 1.4 billion user accounts, a significant portion of its 3.07 billion global user base.
- Beyond breaches, the app reportedly demands 85 different permissions from users’ devices and freely shares data with third parties, creating numerous security vulnerabilities.
“Many apps are designed to collect as much information as possible, not just to provide a service but to fuel advertising behind the scenes,” an Elevate spokesperson stated. “The more data that’s stored, the bigger the target becomes for attackers. That lack of awareness is exactly what makes people so vulnerable.”
Chinese Social Network Weibo Poses Major Privacy Threat
Taking second place in privacy risks is the Chinese social network Weibo.
- Weibo suffered a single, massive data leak that affected an estimated 538 million users, compromising nearly its entire user base of 599 million.
- The app also requests an unusually high number of permissions from user devices, totaling 107, which is significantly more than any other platform examined in the study.
X and Telegram Also Face Significant Data Issues
The study highlights that even platforms with reputations for security are vulnerable.
X (formerly Twitter), in third place, compromised data from roughly 200 million accounts across two separate breaches. Its policy of sharing user data with third parties adds to the risk, despite asking for a moderate 50 permissions.
Pinterest placed fourth after a single breach affected 70 million users. While it only requests 29 permissions, its practice of sharing user data still increases potential security risks.
Surprisingly, Telegram, which markets itself as privacy-focused, landed in fifth. Although it collects only 21 permissions and only shares data with third parties when a user consents, the app has still seen two breaches that exposed around 57 million users.
Finally, the AI chatbot ChatGPT was ranked in sixth position. While it has not experienced a confirmed breach, it reportedly suffered an information leak in 2025, which allegedly compromised 20 million of its user accounts.
“Most users don’t realize how much of their personal life is being recorded until something goes wrong,” the spokesperson concluded, stressing that users’ lack of awareness is a critical vulnerability.
Photo via Pixabay
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