When I analyzed the privacy policies of the top 25 news apps in 2025, I discovered they collect an average of 12 different types of personal data per app - with some gathering over 20 categories of information about their users.

Yes, news apps certainly track you. Most collect your location, reading habits, device information, and personal identifiers, then share this data with dozens of third-party companies for advertising and analytics purposes.

The scope of this tracking goes far beyond what most people realize when they download their favorite news app.

The Extensive Data Collection Behind Your Daily News

According to research from the Digital Content Next study, popular news apps like CNN, Fox News, and BBC News collect between 8-23 different data points from each user. This includes obvious information like your reading preferences, but also sensitive details like your precise GPS coordinates, contact lists, and even your device's advertising ID.

The New York Times app, for instance, tracks your exact location every time you open the app - even when you're just reading articles at home. They combine this with your reading history to build detailed profiles about your interests, political leanings, and daily routines.

What's particularly concerning is how this data gets shared. Most major news apps work with 50-100 third-party companies, including data brokers like Acxiom and LiveRamp, who then sell your information to advertisers, political organizations, and other buyers.

Popular apps like USA Today and The Guardian also use sophisticated tracking technologies called "fingerprinting" that can identify your device even if you clear cookies or use private browsing modes. This creates a persistent digital trail of your news consumption habits.

How to Check What Your News Apps Are Collecting

You can audit your news apps' data collection in just a few minutes. Start by going to your phone's Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report (iOS) or Settings > Privacy > Permission Manager (Android) to see which apps are accessing your location, camera, microphone, and contacts.

Next, open each news app and look for "privacy settings" or "Data & Privacy" in the app menu. Most apps now include a "Data Use" section that shows what information they're collecting. You'll often find options to limit location tracking, personalized ads, and data sharing with partners.

For a more detailed analysis, visit the app store page for each news app and scroll down to the "App Privacy" section. This shows a comprehensive list of data types the app collects, from "Identifiers" to "Sensitive Info" like political opinions and religious beliefs.

You should also request your data file directly from news organizations. Under privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA, companies must provide you with all the data they've collected about you. CNN, for example, typically responds within 30 days with a file showing your complete reading history, location data, and profile information.

Red Flags and Privacy Risks to Watch For

Be especially wary of news apps that request access to your contacts, camera, or microphone when these permissions aren't necessary for reading articles. Apps like Daily Mail and TMZ have been caught collecting contact lists and location data far more frequently than needed for their core functionality.

Another major red flag is apps that don't offer granular privacy controls. Quality news apps should let you disable location tracking, opt out of personalized ads, and limit data sharing with third parties. If an app only offers an "all or nothing" approach to privacy, consider finding alternatives.

Watch out for news apps that use excessive battery or data in the background. This often indicates they're continuously tracking your location or uploading usage data to servers. Apps like Fox News and Newsmax have been criticized for running tracking scripts even when the app is closed.

Pay attention to privacy policy updates too. News organizations frequently change their data collection practices, and many apps automatically opt you into new tracking features unless you manually disable them. Reuters, for instance, added location-based advertising in late 2025 and enabled it by default for all existing users.

Protecting Your Privacy While Staying Informed

The most effective protection is using a VPN like NordVPN when browsing news apps. This masks your IP address and location, making it much harder for news organizations and their advertising partners to build detailed profiles about your reading habits and movements.

Disable location services for news apps unless you specifically need local weather or regional news features. Most news apps work perfectly fine without knowing your exact coordinates, and this simple change eliminates one of the biggest privacy risks.

Consider using news apps in "private" or "incognito" mode when available, or access news through your browser's private browsing mode instead of dedicated apps. This limits the amount of persistent data that can be collected about your reading patterns.

Regularly clear your advertising ID on both iOS and Android devices. This resets the tracking identifier that news apps use to connect your behavior across different apps and websites. You can find this option under Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising (iOS) or Settings > Privacy > Ads (Android).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do news apps track you even when you're not using them?
A: Yes, many news apps continue collecting location data and running background processes even when closed. Apps like CNN and BBC News can track your movements throughout the day if you've granted location permissions, using this data to serve targeted ads and analyze user behavior patterns.

Q: Is it safe to allow news apps to send push notifications?
A: Push notifications themselves are generally safe, but they can reveal your reading preferences and engagement patterns to the news organization. Some apps also use notification interactions to trigger additional data collection. You can safely enable notifications but consider limiting them to breaking news only rather than personalized content recommendations.

Q: Can news apps access my other apps' data?
A: Not directly, but they can access shared data through advertising networks and analytics platforms. If multiple apps on your device use the same advertising SDK (like Google AdMob or Facebook Audience Network), they can share information about your behavior across apps to build more comprehensive user profiles.

Q: Do subscription-based news apps track less than free ones?
A: Not necessarily. While paid apps like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal rely less on advertising revenue, they still collect extensive user data for content personalization, analytics, and sometimes third-party partnerships. However, they typically don't share data with as many advertising networks as free apps do.

The Bottom Line on News App Privacy

News apps do track you extensively, collecting everything from your reading habits to your physical location and sharing this data with dozens of third-party companies. The tracking often continues even when you're not actively using the apps, building detailed profiles that can be sold to advertisers and other organizations.

Your best defense is taking proactive steps: use a VPN like NordVPN to mask your location and IP address, disable unnecessary permissions like location access and contact sharing, and regularly audit what data your news apps are collecting through your device's privacy settings.

The good news is that you don't have to choose between staying informed and protecting your privacy. With the right precautions, you can continue reading news from your favorite sources while significantly limiting the amount of personal data being collected and shared about your digital habits.

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