CITT

    Scan results

    The Guardian - US & World News

    Android

    Get fearless, independent journalism from the United States and the world with the Guardian app. Never miss breaking news, dive into diverse opinion pieces, and follow stories minute-by-minute. Premium subscription available for unlimited access without ads.

    CITT SCORE
    50
    out of 100
    unTRUSTED

    Quick Verdict

    Best for: News readers comfortable with broad ad tracking

    Not For: You want control over what data is shared

    What It Means For You

    Reading habits, device details, and behavior are shared with over ten ad, analytics, and audience measurement companies including Nielsen and comScore. Users have limited ability to opt out of this tracking. Ads are targeted based on content interests across sessions.

    Method and Limitations

    Static analysis only. CITT reviewed the code of this build without running the app, so runtime behavior was not observed. The findings below describe the analyzed build and may not reflect server-side controls or later versions. CITT makes no determination about compliance with any law or platform policy; it reports what the artifacts contain and cites the published guidance so a reader can compare.

    How CITT scores an app

    Findings (23)

    Data Security

    10 total
    1 Critical
    3 High
    3 Medium
    3 Low

    Network Security

    1 total
    1 Medium

    Code Security

    5 total
    1 High
    4 Medium

    Privacy

    5 total
    2 Critical
    1 High
    2 Medium

    Third-Party Risk

    2 total
    1 High
    1 Medium

    Third-Party Services

    Adjust, Amazon APS, Braze, comScore, Confiant, Firebase Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, Nielsen, Permutive, Teads, Ophan

    Security Strengths

    • ✓OAuth tokens properly encrypted (AES-256-GCM)
    • ✓Root detection implemented
    • ✓No weak cryptography detected
    • ✓No SQL injection vulnerabilities
    • ✓WebView debugging disabled in production
    • ✓Proper SSL validation
    What changed since the last scan

    Version diff is on the Developer plan. See developer plans.

    Context Tags

    news
    media
    analytics
    advertising
    location
    gdpr
    subscription

    Package

    com.guardian

    Version

    6.174.121373

    Analysis Date

    Jan 21, 2026

    0

    Was this analysis helpful?

    Feedback helps us improve our analysis

    View on Play Store

    Recommendation: Use With Caution

    Key Findings

    Data Security - 10 findings (1 critical, 3 high, 3 medium, 3 low)

    Network Security - 1 finding (1 medium)

    Code Safety - 0 findings

    Privacy - 5 findings (2 critical, 1 high, 2 medium)

    Privacy Concerns

    What Data is Collected

    The app collects reading history, article preferences, device identifiers, and behavioral patterns across sessions. Usage data and device details are gathered to build a profile of user interests and serve targeted advertising.

    Third-Party Data Sharing

    Data is shared with the following third-party services:

    • Adjust (attribution and campaign tracking)
    • Amazon APS (advertising)
    • Braze (user engagement and messaging)
    • comScore (audience measurement)
    • Confiant (ad quality)
    • Firebase Analytics (behavioral analytics)
    • Firebase Crashlytics (error reporting)
    • Nielsen (audience measurement)
    • Ophan (internal analytics)
    • Permutive (audience data and targeting)
    • Teads (advertising)

    Understanding the Scores

    CategoryScore
    Security58/100
    Privacy42/100
    Data Security55/100
    Network Security85/100
    Code Safety72/100
    Data Collection35/100
    Data Sharing40/100
    User Control25/100

    Positive Security Features

    No positive security practices were identified for this version.

    Areas for Improvement

    • Data is shared with eleven third-party services focused on advertising and behavioral profiling, with very limited options to opt out.
    • Data collection scope is broad, covering reading habits and device details used to build audience profiles across sessions.
    • User control over data sharing is minimal, making it difficult to restrict how data is used by advertising and measurement partners.

    About This Analysis

    This scorecard is based on automated static analysis of the published Android app binary. Scores reflect findings at the time of analysis and may change with app updates.

    App Details

    • App Name: The Guardian - US & World News
    • Package ID: com.guardian
    • Version: 6.174.121373
    • Scan Date: 2026-01-21
    • Platform: Android

    Right of Reply

    Developer not yet contacted