A new study by the cybersecurity company Surfshark has found that nearly half of the world’s most popular mobile apps report collecting users' browsing history in their privacy labels on app stores. The research analyzed 40 leading Android and iOS apps across four categories: generative AI, social media, e-commerce, and messaging. This data highlights a growing concern about how apps handle user privacy, especially when it comes to tracking online behavior beyond the app itself. Social media apps were found to be the most frequent collectors of browsing history. Out of the 10 social apps studied, nine collected this data on at least one platform. Major apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Pinterest collected browsing history on both Android and iOS. However, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Snapchat only collected it on Android. Notably, Discord was the only social app in the study that did not collect browsing history on either platform. E-commerce apps followed closely, with half of the shopping apps analyzed collecting user browsing history on at least one platform. Messaging apps, in contrast, were less likely to engage in this practice, with only Rakuten Viber, Messenger, and LINE collecting browsing history. In the generative AI category, only Google Gemini, out of the 10 apps studied, reported collecting browsing history. Apps typically collect browsing history to improve targeted advertising and personalize content feeds. According to Surfshark’s lead system engineer, Karolis Kaciulis, many apps use their own "embedded browsers" to track user activity when they click on external links. This tracking is not essential for the core functions of the apps and is often hidden in the fine print of privacy policies. To reduce data collection, users can take steps like avoiding in-app browsers by opening links in their default browser or using a privacy-focused browser directly. These choices can help limit the amount of browsing data apps are able to collect, giving users more control over their online privacy.