By An Anonymous High School Student

“If you do not provide access to your location data, we may infer your location using your IP address…” Scary, right? Even if you don’t think you are sharing your location, you are. Well, maybe it’s just a map that requires your location? Nope. This came directly from the privacy policy from a new social app called Simp (https://www.simpapp.co/).

What is Simp? What data does it track?

If you haven’t yet heard of this app, here’s what you should know. Using the slang of the younger generations, Simp is marketed to a younger audience as “an app to gas friends up and be their biggest stans.” It’s advertised as a social media-esque app where you can figure out who likes you. With promotions across TikTok and other social media platforms, it’s not too difficult to understand how this app has gained such a following. However, it has been raising recent privacy concerns.

Why? Just by looking in the app store, you can view the personal privacy invasions you are agreeing to when you download the app. Not only does Simp track your location, but it also collects your contacts, identifiers, diagnostics, contact info, user content, usage data, and more.

Striked by the recent spur in worries around Simp, I decided to do some more research. Upon study of the app and its policies, we found more and more issues. We were able to identify that Simp’s address listed in the privacy policy is not to a company headquarters but instead to a mail forwarding center, making it difficult to identify who is responsible for collecting your information, and therefore, what is being done with this information.

Address from Privacy Policy:
2885 Sanford Ave SW Ste 44683
Grandville, Michigan 49418-1342

And associated company:
https://www.mailboxforwarding.com/

What should you do if your children have already downloaded Simp?

After reading this information, you may be concerned. The best thing you can do is to talk to your children about this app and why these privacy issues are concerning. If your children have already downloaded the app, ensure that they delete their account and delete their app from this phone to minimize the information given to this app.

How can you protect yourself and your family from downloading invasive apps in the future?

In the future, make sure that you look into the privacy policies of an app prior to downloading them. The easiest way to do so is by finding the app in the app store and scroll down towards the bottom of the page. Find the section labeled App privacy and identify data the app collects (at least for Apple devices). Use this information to assess whether it is a safe app to download. If not, find an alternative to the app. No matter how much you want or think you need the app, it is not worth it to risk your personal information.

Discussion Questions

  • What research should you do before downloading a new app?
  • How much personal data does an app need? Does it change for different app types?
  • Why should you care about your data remaining private?
  • How can you prevent yourself from falling for future privacy traps?
Savvy Cyber Kids educates and empowers digital citizens, from parents and grandparents, to teachers and students. Sign up for our free resources to help you navigate today’s digital world with cyber ethics. See more cyber safety and cyber ethics blogs produced exclusively for EarthLink. Looking for a social media parental control? Try a 30-day free trial of Bark. If you sign up after your trial, Bark donates 25% of your monthly fee to Savvy Cyber Kids.

Thank you to the Savvy Cyber Kid’s sponsors!

Interested in becoming a Savvy Cyber Kids sponsor? Email Ben Halpert.