Most Fashion Brands Have Apps Now. The Asos Hack Shows Why That Might Be a Bad Idea.

Following a cyberattack on fashion retailer Asos, Professor Justin Cappos questioned why fashion brands encourage customers to install dedicated shopping apps that collect extensive personal information. He warned that discounts and app-only incentives can obscure the value of the data consumers surrender and the security risks they assume. "It's not a free lunch," Cappos said. "In many cases, apps are just ways of gathering data and monitoring things about users." He also cautioned that AI shopping agents introduce additional vulnerabilities, including attacks that manipulate their instructions.