Tim Hortons, the Canadian fast food giant, is attempting to settle data privacy class-action lawsuits against it by offering class members a free donut and coffee. Why exactly was Tim Hortons being sued? I quote from The Register article on the proposed settlement:
According to that probe, Tim Hortons updated its apps to specifically add location tracking technology managed by a US company called Radar. That biz collected information from devices every few minutes to infer customers’ home and work locations and see if they were buying donuts elsewhere.
That’s not creepy at all.
Let this be a lesson. Before installing that app from your favorite merchant or donut dealer, ask first whether you really need that app. If the answer is yes, at least consider possible privacy implications before pulling the trigger. If you happen to be an Android user, you can see my November 2021 article on non-creepy free and open source Android apps that are available on F-Droid.