There’s a growing irony in modern personal finance: budget apps promise control over money while quietly monetizing users’ personal information. Many of the most popular apps collect deep insights into spending habits, transaction histories, location, device data, and more. Behind the scenes, these “free” or freemium tools often rely on selling or sharing data with advertisers, analytics firms, or other third parties to sustain their business models.
Users may be giving up much more than loose change when activating those permissions or linking their bank accounts.
