NY Times Report Shows Scary Side of Location Data

NY Times Report Shows Scary Side of Location Data

A new report from the New York Times details how personal and invasive smartphone location data can get.

According to the New York Times report “Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret,” at least 75 companies get receive “anonymous” but deeply precise app location data from a total of about 200 million smartphones in the U.S. Some apps collect location data as often as 14,000 times daily.

“These companies sell, use or analyze the data to cater to advertisers, retail outlets and even hedge funds seeking insights into consumer behavior,” the report reads. “It’s a hot market, with sales of location-targeted advertising reaching an estimated $21 billion this year.”

The Times found that many of the explanations given by apps requesting location services permission are incomplete or misleading. An app’s permissions request might tell users that their location data will help in getting traffic information, but disclose that the data will be shared and sold somewhere in their Privacy Policy. For example, the report notes that the app for the Weather Channel said users’ location data would be used for “personalized local weather data, alerts, and forecasts” but the app also analyzed the collected user data for hedge funds.

One of the most disconcerting things discovered in their reporting was the level of detail captured in location data tracking. A few people allowed the Times to examine their location history and data, and in some cases the team was able to track them within a few yards of their actual physical location.

According to The Times, despite the anonymizing of personal data before it’s sent to advertisers, their reporters were able to determine a person’s identity from data based on their specific daily routines or commutes, or even seeing where a smartphone spent the night and doing research in public records to see who lived there.

“Location information can reveal some of the most intimate details of a person’s life — whether you’ve visited a psychiatrist, whether you went to an A.A. meeting, who you might date,” Senator Ron Wyden told the Times. Wyden has proposed bills to limit the collection and sale of location data, which are largely unregulated in the United States. “It’s not right to have consumers kept in the dark about how their data is sold and shared and then leave them unable to do anything about it,” he added.

The full report by The New York Times can be read here, and the Times has also published a guide on how to stop apps from tracking your location.

On iOS smartphones, the location services permission is in the Settings menu under Privacy, and allows you to decide if and when apps are allowed to track your location. On Android devices, the setting is under Settings > Security & Location > Locations, and app-level permissions.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies: Uniting Human Risk Management and Security Awareness Training

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

  • Report: 1 in 3 Easily Exploitable Vulnerabilities Found on Cloud Assets

    CyCognito recently released new research highlighting critical security vulnerabilities across cloud-hosted assets, revealing that one in three easily exploitable vulnerabilities or misconfigurations are found on cloud assets. As organizations increasingly shift to multi-cloud strategies, the findings underscore significant security gaps that could provide attackers with potential footholds into networks. Read Now

  • Built for Today, Ready for Tomorrow

    Selecting the right VMS is critical for any organization that depends on video surveillance to ensure safety, security and operational efficiency. While many organizations focus on immediate needs such as budget and deployment size, let us review some of the long-term considerations that can significantly impact a VMS's utility and flexibility. Read Now

  • Paving the Way to Smart Buildings

    In today's rapidly evolving security landscape, the convergence of on-prem, edge and cloud technologies are critical. The physical security landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid digitalization of buildings and the evolving needs of modern organizations. As the buildings sector pivots towards smart, AI and data-driven operations, the integration of both edge and cloud technology has become crucial. Read Now

  • The Cybersecurity Time Bomb

    If you work in physical security, you have probably seen it: a camera, access control system, or intrusion detection device installed years ago, humming along without a single update. It is a common scenario that security professionals have come to accept as "normal." But here is the reality: this mindset is actively putting organizations at risk. Read Now

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.