A study conducted by University of Oxford researchers analyzed nearly 1 million Android apps to determine how smartphone data is collected and shared, the Financial Times reports. The researchers found the average app transferred data to 10 third parties. For one in every five apps, the number would exceed 20 third parties. Of all the apps examined, 88 percent was designed to send information back to Google’s parent company, Alphabet, with 43 percent able to send information to businesses owned by Facebook. University of Oxford Computer Scientist and Project Lead Reuben Binns said the surge in data sharing is a result of app developers' reliance on advertisements rather than sales. (Registration may be required to access this story.) 
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