The data security risks of foreign-developed mobile apps are coming under sharper scrutiny, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issues a fresh warning on how widely used applications could expose sensitive user data. In a new public service announcement, the agency highlights that many of the most popular mobile apps used in the United States—especially those developed by companies based in China—may pose significant privacy and security concerns.

At the core of the warning is a simple issue: users often do not fully understand how much data these apps can access—and where that data ultimately ends up. Data Security Risks of Foreign-Developed Mobile Apps 

The data security ris...