Let’s say you want to earn some extra pocket cash, but you’re short on free time (and energy). Your phone might be a good place to start. There are quite a few apps designed to help you earn some extra dough, either in the form of gift cards or standard cold, hard cash.

There is a trade-off, however. Nearly any kind of reward app, even the legitimate ones, will track at least some of your personal data.

Paul Bischoff, a privacy advocate at Comparitech.com, says that these apps typically collect data for marketing purposes. “Some types of data these apps can collect about you include websites visited, real-time location, online purchases, other apps you use, your entire contact list and search queries,” he said. Watch out for apps that collect background data — you can find that information in the app’s privacy policy when you sign up. Of course, privacy policies are often lengthy and hard to understand, so it helps to know what you’re looking for.

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