Apps that use google APIs (and similar) vs the webpage version - which is more private?
If I look at a news app on my iPhone, for example, I can see in iOS’s privacy report that the app is using various Google APIs for analytics, amongst others. I understand why (it’s free and easy for them) but means that despite the app not collecting data on me, Google still is.
In this case, is using the web version of the app (which is often an option) more private?
Here I’m assuming mobile Safari with privacy relay, plus some extensions to stop trackers etc.
But whether usage data is transmitted back to the service needs a quick check too.
For example, compare accessing Gmail via its web app and via a boring IMAP mail client.
Or in the old days, Twitter's web app and an app like Tweetbot.
In this case, is using the web version of the app (which is often an option) more private?
I’m assuming mobile Safari with privacy relay, plus some extensions to stop trackers etc.
Long story short: probably.
The crucial bit in this example is that the extensions explicitly blocks code being executed on your device used to track you.
They aren't a silver bullet, though.
Officially on iOS it is forbidden to track users' activity on between apps and websites unless the user explicitly grants it via the AppTrackingTransparency framework (https://developer.apple.com/app-store/user-privacy-and-data-use/).
Not a silver bullet either.
Whether there is a significant difference how usage data is used and abused from accessing content via a website versus mobile app is a tricky question to answer definitively.
We can measure things like network requests, blocked scripts.
We can read policies which promise stuff and can be enforced through courts etc.
But things happen behind closed doors like selling data through legal loopholes, grey areas, and data breaches.
It's a big business.
If you've got any specific examples we could dig a bit deeper.
Assuming you're Australian: I just checked first news provider that came to mind and found that https://abc.net.au can be read easily without Javascript enabled at all.
That's hard to beat.
Moving to the web version I’m hoping can blunt such things. On iOS I use AdGuard, Hush, and StopTheMadness. https://d3ward.github.io/toolz/adblock.html tells me I’m not doing too bad in terms of ads and tracking.
Two others which are pretty bad with their apps but have very similar webpages:
For news in particular, RSS feeds are a great option if you can find them. No ads, no Javascript, purely chronological sorting of articles.
Here's some feed links for SBS, for example: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/feeds/nbv1rs3kw
I highly recommend the open source app NetNewsWire for iOS.