
2. How They Make Money: “From a consumer’s standpoint, it’s important to understand what the monetization model is for the company that makes these apps,” added Kowsik Guruswamy, chief technology officer at Menlo Security. “That alone can be very revealing in how the companies plan to use their data.” For example, an app might make money through sponsorships with the brands it partners with or it might offer customers paid upgrades. However, it’s also likely it makes money selling your data to advertisers or other third parties, which is why it’s important to note what kind of data it tracks and how it uses it.