London, February 8 (RHC)-- The U.S. National Security Agency and its British counterpart are accessing mobile applications to collect huge amounts of personal data from their users, classified documents show.

The NSA and Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) have been working together since 2007 on how to collect and store data from dozens of so-called "leaky apps," according to the leaked documents, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The documents, published by the New York Times, the Guardian, and ProPublica, show that the NSA and the UK spy agency routinely obtain information from certain apps to determine the user's location, age, sex and other personal information.

"By having these devices in our pockets and using them more and more, you're somehow becoming a sensor for the U.S. intelligence community," said Philippe Langlois, founder of the Paris-based company Priority One Security.

According to one of the top-secret documents, the NSA and GCHQ displayed a particular interest in Google Maps, which is accurate to within a few yards or better in some locations.

Spy agencies have been able to use the popular game Angry Birds to obtain information. They have also worked to share strategies for collecting data from mobile versions of Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn and Twitter, among other services.