Foreign apps might have your data, and it doesn't matter if you've never used them.
The FBI put out a public service announcement this week warning about data security risks from foreign-developed mobile apps—particularly those linked to China, such as popular platforms like CapCut, Temu, SHEIN, and Lemon8, among others.
The specific concern is contact lists. If someone you know downloads one of these apps and grants it access to their phone's contact list (or address book), the app can pull your name, phone number, email address, and other details stored there—even if you've never installed the app yourself. You're not part of that transaction at all.
Some of these apps keep running in the background after you close them. Data ends up on servers in China, where local law may require companies to give it to the government on request. That's been the underlying concern with TikTok for years.
The FBI is now saying it's a wider problem than that, extending to numerous other popular apps developed by Chinese companies that millions of Americans use daily.
TikTok itself has received intense scrutiny for years over similar risks. A 2026 deal required its Chinese parent company to transfer U.S. operations to a majority American-led joint venture. However, that arrangement apparently did not resolve the broader concerns raised by the FBI.
Battery dying faster than usual, data usage spiking, account activity you don't recognize—the bureau listed all of these as things worth paying attention to after installing something new.
Among the tips meted out to the public, the federal agency recommends that you check what permissions your apps have, download from official stores only, and be stingy about what you hand over when something asks for access.