The reality of 2020 is that it’s rare to go anywhere without your cell phone. That little device holds your entire world: things like memorable photos, important contacts, and games to pass the time on a daily commute.
Your phone is full of apps that are capable of more than keeping you entertained. Once given permission, which is as easy as the absentminded tap of a button, certain apps keep a log of all the locations you visit. Essentially, they track you.
Where Does That Data Go?
Once your phone pings a nearby tower, you can’t get that data back.
The fact that third-party companies collect data to build customer profiles isn’t exactly news. People are aware that this has been going on.
But what happens to that data after it’s been collected?
First of all, it gets sold. There’s no law against selling geographical history. Most people know – or can put together – that location data companies sell this information to advertising companies. For example, you’ve probably noticed ads appear for discounts from Foot Locker after you popped into their store.
There’s nothing especially sinister about this. It’s a little creepy, and it may feel like your phone, or at least something inside your phone, is stalking you. The thought of little eyes and ears inside a smartphone sends chills up a lot of spines.
People’s first thought is that these companies sell to the government, when, in reality, that’s not the case.
The government isn’t tracking your every move, nor are giant tech companies. The companies tracking your phone are much stealthier. The location data companies fly under the radar, and most have never even heard of them.
But they’ve heard of you.
What Do They Do With Your Data?
These companies claim that the data is only shared with their vetted partners – meaning advertising companies and analytical firms that look at where you were and what you may have seen. But the truth of the matter is this: there are no laws prohibiting location data companies from selling your information to whomever they choose.
As a society, we’ve taken their word that they won’t sell it to anyone that could use it to hurt us… but is it naive to put such faith in them?
The Worst That Could Happen.
Location data companies claim they don’t sell your information to anyone with malicious intent. But there’s always the possibility that the enemy is on the inside. Malintent doesn’t have to come from someone purchasing data. It could stem from someone collecting it.
Imagine a location data consultant with a vendetta against an ex-lover. After pressing a few buttons, they could track their location. No, pings aren’t associated with names or email addresses, but it isn’t hard to narrow down who a person is. If you know where they live and where they work, all you need to look for is a recurring path between the two places, and you’ve found your target.
The New York Times Opinion wrote an article that dove deep into this concept. They looked at the tracking data and found a Microsoft employee who pinged a tower at Amazon headquarters. A couple of weeks later, he was hired there. This made them wonder… someday, could employers track our location and use it to get one step ahead?
Celebrities would also be at risk, should information fall into the wrong hands. They could be stalked (more than they already are) with someone knowing their every move.
The point is this: not only is this information out there, but it’s loosely guarded. Right now, the honor system is all that’s keeping the guidelines in place.
What You Can Do To Protect Your Data
Reading facts like these might make you feel scared, or like you’re being spied on. In a way, you kind of are, but you have more control over what data these apps can track than you realize!
If you’re concerned about your location being shared when you visit a location that may reveal personal information, like an AA meeting or a doctor’s office, you can go into your phone’s settings and turn it on airplane mode to fully stop any type of location tracking, or go into individual app settings to change the permissions you’ve given. You may have to manually enter your city to get accurate weather predictions, but you’ll be protecting your data!
How much you do or don’t share is totally up to you. Some people may be happy with the tradeoff of more efficient apps for giving up some data and privacy! If you aren’t, though, now is a good time to review which apps are tracking your data and change a few settings.