2025-07-22 Press Release: Hexiosec and Which? Reveal Alarming Privacy Risks in the UK’s Most Popular Apps
Cybersecurity firm Hexiosec has partnered with consumer group Which? to investigate the privacy practices of 20 of the UK’s most downloaded mobile apps. The findings, and the responses from many of the app publishers, are detailed in the report https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-much-do-apps-know-about-you-5-ways-to-improve-app-privacy-aJ4p38G3oS1x. They reveal widespread overcollection of data and unclear consent practices.
Key findings include:
- 14 of 20 apps, requested access to the device’s microphone, often without clear justification.
- 15 apps requested precise location access, and 4 asked to see what other apps were running, despite this being deprecated due to privacy concerns.
- Another sent 30 marketing emails in a month without clear opt-in.
- The apps collectively requested 882 permissions, 78 of which were classified as ‘risky’.
Hexiosec supported the technical testing using a bespoke framework developed with Which?, combining static and dynamic app analysis with secure traffic inspection. The approach reflects Hexiosec’s broader capabilities in app testing, secure data handling and security engineering.
David Griffiths, CEO of Hexiosec, said:
“This investigation highlights the disconnect between what users expect and what apps actually do, and the survey shows that users do care about privacy. While many apps claim to respect privacy, our analysis shows excessive data collection and vague consent mechanisms are widespread. We’re proud to contribute our expertise to help raise the bar for privacy standards and empower Which? consumers to make informed choices.”
Read our blog: How We Tested Mobile App Privacy — and What We Found for Which?
2025-05-07 Hexiosec Now on Jisc’s Chest Platform
We’re excited to announce that Hexiosec is now available through the Chest platform — the trusted software and services procurement service run by Jisc, supporting universities, colleges, and research institutions across the UK.
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