A program has been placed on your smartphone without your knowledge and it is collecting personal information about you. What kind of application is this?

spyware

Explanation:

In computer security, the term spyware refers to a form of malware (A malicious program) that "spies", when it is found on a user's device it covertly obtains and gathers information about the individual or the company or organization from the devices hard drive. The information gathered can then be trasmitted and used to perpetrate cyber attacks against the individual or organization.