Your Bible App Might Be Tracking You
A few days ago, I wrote a blog post on my Faith and Technology section regarding how Christians should treat Bible apps. This caught the attention of @[email protected] over on Mastodon, and we had an interesting conversation about how some apps have trackers installed on them. Some stats indicated that the Android version of YouVersion (yes, the free and widely used Bible app) contains a significant amount of spyware and other trackers that collect data about users and their app activity. If you want a more technical overview, check out his post for more.
I was both enlightened and horrified by this discovery, as I’m sure most people (including myself) were unaware of this behaviour. How can something as simple as a Bible app, designed for ultimate good, cause so much harm beneath the surface? Because of this, I felt compelled to write something—there is always something to learn. But first, what exactly is spyware?
Put simply, spyware is software that secretly collects information about you without your consent, often tracking your activities, location, or personal data in order to gain insights into your behaviour.
From a Christian perspective, it is clear to me that the overarching issue stems from the sinful and corrupt tendencies of man. In this case, it manifests in taking advantage of others for personal (or corporate) gain by denying a user’s right to privacy.
As Ephesians 5:11 says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” The sad truth is that many companies use misleading tactics to collect data. As Christians, we should be aware of these deceptive strategies and expose them when necessary to help others stay informed.
In light of this news, moving forward, we (myself included) need to be more diligent about the apps we use for our spiritual growth. It is always worth researching the privacy policies of the apps we install, limiting unnecessary app permissions on our phones, and considering offline Bible apps or physical Bibles.
As I close, if you’re looking for a new Bible app to use instead of YouVersion, check out Blue Letter Bible, as suggested by @[email protected] himself.
