Messenger is the messaging application that collects the most personal data among those analyzed in a Surfshark study, which evaluated 35 types of information linked to the use of this type of service. The report places Meta's platform in the first position on the list, far ahead of other tools in the same sector.
The analysis concludes that Messenger collects 32 of the 35 types of data reviewed. Among them are categories such as financial information, precise location, search history, health data, and contact list. The study also points out that the application links that information with the user's real identity.
The biggest gap appears against Signal
The most marked difference is observed when comparing it with Signal. While Messenger gathers 32 types of data, Signal only collects one and limits itself to asking for the phone number. That distance leads the report to state that Messenger collects 32 times more personal data than this application.
The study adds that WhatsApp, also within the Meta group, collects approximately half the data that Messenger. Although the distance is smaller than in the case of Signal, the contrast again places Messenger as the most intensive platform in information collection among those examined.
External advertising and analysis of behavior
The report attributes three main uses to Messenger for that data collection. On the one hand, targeted third-party advertising. On the other, behavioral analysis to predict future actions. And also product personalization within the company's digital ecosystem.
Furthermore, the analysis indicates that the application tracks users through device identifiers and emails, with the aim of operating in external advertising networks. That point reinforces the idea that it is not just about technical operating data, but about information aimed at profiling behaviors and usage habits.
Sensitive data among the categories examined
The 35 types of data studied by Surfshark are grouped into broad blocks that include especially sensitive information. Among them appear precise location, search history, health data, financial information, and contact list. The breadth of these categories allows measuring not only how much each application collects, but also the level of detail of the profile it can build about each user.
The revised content also points out that Instagram is preparing the elimination of end-to-end encryption for next month. That point appears in the same evaluation context on privacy and data management within mass-use platforms, at a time when the protection of personal information continues to gain weight in the technological debate.
The report, dated April 8, 2026, thus places Messenger at the center of the discussion on digital privacy, with a clear difference compared to other messaging applications in terms of volume of data collected and in the linking of that information with the identity of each user.