200 million phones are being tracked in real time by data brokers

[Fasterthannothing]

So a study by New York Times shows that your data and GPS location is being tracked in real time. 

Quote

A New York Times investigation has found that apps such as GasBuddy and The Weather Channel are among at least 75 companies getting purportedly “anonymous” but pinpoint-precise location data from about 200 million smartphones across the US.

This is absolutely insane but not surprising. I know people that leave their GPS on all the time even though they aren't using it. Personally I turn my GPS off whenever I'm not using it, delete map data from Google maps (the only app I allow to use my GPS) and block permissions for other apps.

Quote

The Times reviewed a database holding location data gathered in 2017 and held by one company, finding that it held “startling detail” about people’s travels, accurate to within a few yards and in some cases updated more than 14,000 times a day. 

And on top of all this it's not actually anonymous because of all the data points.

Quote

The data being sold is supposedly anonymous, as in, not tied to a phone number. The Times could still easily figure out who mobile device owners were through their daily routines, including where they live, where they work, or what businesses they frequent.

The businesses can reflect intimate details. For example, the Times used the database to track a 46-year-old math teacher, starting from leaving her home, traveling to her school 14 miles away, attending a Weight Watchers meeting after work, visiting her dermatologist’s office for a procedure, hiking with her dog, and staying over at her boyfriend’s house – information sold without her knowledge that she found highly disturbing after giving the newspaper the go-ahead to review her location data:

This is some scary crap right here folks. I really wish people would stop using their GPS for anything but directions and block other apps from using it. 

 

Sources:

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/12/12/phones-are-selling-location-data-from-trusted-apps/

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

i always have it off...

[Velcade]

I believe it.  Google tracks your movements, with surprising accuracy.  I use to be part of Google Rewards until the questionnaires I started filling out were about stores I'd been in, even with location off.  After that I decided to uninstall and leave it be.

[AngryBeaver]

I always have it on... as I don't care. The information tracked doesn't contain anything PII related so you aren't being personally identified. It does help companies and apps notify you if you are close to a location or to help generate ads.

 

I mean a lot of vehicles with gps track you now and that information is sold. Hell, your phone company has access to your less precise location at all times due to tower information... they probably market that information too. The truth is data about you is going to be pretty much sold from now until possibly forever. This is just how things work now.

 

Now if they were tracking you in a way that personally identifies you then that would be different, but normally that doesn't happen. I mean some companies can and do, do just that, but you have to sign something to agree to it (often tossed in to a contract for something else).

[mynameisjuan]

What is this 2013? 

 

This has been know for years and most is for good. Yeah google tracks you but this add features to maps like traffic and delays that you wouldnt otherwise know and can redirect you when need be. With a work schedule they can also notify you "hey leave 10 mins early because delays". 

 

Its little worry to me.

[Velcade]

11 minutes ago, AngryBeaver said:

I mean a lot of vehicles with gps track you now and that information is sold.

This is a good point.  On Star still monitors your vehicle and locations even if you don't pay for the service. 

[seon123]

20 minutes ago, Shorty88jr said:

I know people that leave their GPS on all the time even though they aren't using it. 

On newer Android phones, it's "Location". Even if it's turned on, the GPS is only used when an app asks for it. A little icon appears at the top of the screen when the GPS is actually being used. 

[D13H4RD]

It's pretty obvious these days, at least on Android. 

 

The reason why is because Google Maps will regularly send you notifications based on where you are or where you had been over a certain period, usually with suggestions or reviews 

[Silentprototipe]

I stopped caring long ago. Like what are they gonna do with my information? . Like I highly doubt id have useful information 

[Neftex]

1 minute ago, Silentprototipe said:

I stopped caring long ago. Like what are they gonna do with my information? . Like I highly doubt id have useful information 

steal shit from your house when youre not home

[Silentprototipe]

Just now, Neftex said:

steal shit from your house when youre not home

Tfw im home 80% of the time  

[Neftex]

Just now, Silentprototipe said:

Tfw im home 80% of the time  

and they know the 20% when you arent

[Silentprototipe]

Just now, Neftex said:

and they know the 20% when you arent

That 20% someone else is usually home . Im quite safe

 

[Fasterthannothing]

9 minutes ago, Silentprototipe said:

I stopped caring long ago. Like what are they gonna do with my information? . Like I highly doubt id have useful information 

See this is the whole problem and why companies can access this information all the time. People don't care and instead shrug it off as "they've been doing it for a while why care now". Instead of people accepting this as normal they should relize it shouldn't be normal. Also if the information wasn't useful or valuable then ask yourself why do companies pay for it.

[RejZoR]

The fact you're even using Google maps...

 

Use HERE Maps which are much more transparent regarding data collection which you can opt out entirely and they also allow 100% offline maps. You can navigate with phone that has data connection disabled and only runs on GPS.

[Fasterthannothing]

1 minute ago, RejZoR said:

The fact you're even using Google maps...

 

Use HERE Maps which are much more transparent regarding data collection which you can opt out entirely and they also allow 100% offline maps. You can navigate with phone that has data connection disabled and only runs on GPS.

Didn't even know about them I'll look into it thanks.

[Silentprototipe]

1 minute ago, Shorty88jr said:

See this is the whole problem and why companies can access this information all the time. People don't care and instead shrug it off as "they've been doing it for a while why care now". Instead of people accepting this as normal they should relize it shouldn't be normal.

But like, What info can they get off a teen? Like pretty sure an adult would be worth a lot more than a teen for this kind of thing

[Fasterthannothing]

1 minute ago, Silentprototipe said:

But like, What info can they get off a teen? Like pretty sure an adult would be worth a lot more than a teen for this kind of thing

I mean all data has value now. I'm not saying just you everyone has gotten complacent with protecting their data and privacy.

[Mooshi]

So, let's say your phone is lost or stolen. How do you track it? "Pinging off the tower" is a myth - I work with one of the largest telecoms in the country. Unless it's law enforcement, you aren't going to call into support and have them magically find your phone.

 

Enter Find My iPhone and Android Device Manager. Kinda need location services on for that. With phones now peaking over the grand mark, it's up to you if it's worth the paranoia vs having your phone trackable. It's not exactly fun to tell people their new phone that was stolen is gonna be an expensive replacement - especially if they opted not to have insurance.

[RejZoR]

They can literally profile every user. Especially if you're using whole app ecosystems like Google apps. Which is what they are banking on and it's why they are pushing all possible aspects.

 

They can gather where you live, how you look, how your friends and relatives look, what are your preferences in products, what you're buying and contacting, how you speak and what, your biometric data. They can cross reference all of it between users and build relations trees from it. People think it's all harmless, but it's actually scary how much data they can harvest from a full on Google or Facebook user.

 

Just breaking away from GMail cuts off MASSIVE portion of data they are collecting on you. Not using their search engine is another huge one. Two that are the easiest to break from. Even if you don't go the route of encryption like ProtonMail, just some other provider like GMX and you already break their profiling scheme.

 

Few suggestions:

https://rejzor.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/bring-privacy-under-your-control-again/

 

The more you break up the services, the less accurate profile of you they can build because individual services know your habits and stuff, but not as a whole like Google does. May not be exactly as practical, but in general I don't see much of a difference using separate services instead of everything Google. It's not really any less convenient or functional.

[DrMacintosh]

Settings>General>Privacy> location services> off

 

Done, no more tracking. It’s as easy as 1,2,3,4.......Unless you’re using a Google product then you might have a few issues turning that stuff off. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, DrMacintosh said:

Settings>General>Privacy> location services> off

 

Done, no more tracking. It’s as easy as 1,2,3,4.......Unless you’re using a Google product then you might have a few issues turning that stuff off. 

Applies if you use also Google services on the web too, or even Google functionalities inside other programs 

[lvh1]

Meh I explicitly enabled location tracking on android because it helps both me (for traffic delays) and other people, as well as being interesting to look back to later. I could care less that google knows where I went.

[DrMacintosh]

2 hours ago, Lukyp said:

Applies if you use also Google services on the web too, or even Google functionalities inside other programs 

I heard some stories, I might be misremembering the details but if the Google privacy switches obey what setting they are on, that’s great. 

[Master Disaster]

19 hours ago, Shorty88jr said:

So a study by New York Times shows that your data and GPS location is being tracked in real time. 

This is absolutely insane but not surprising. I know people that leave their GPS on all the time even though they aren't using it. Personally I turn my GPS off whenever I'm not using it, delete map data from Google maps (the only app I allow to use my GPS) and block permissions for other apps.

And on top of all this it's not actually anonymous because of all the data points.

This is some scary crap right here folks. I really wish people would stop using their GPS for anything but directions and block other apps from using it. 

 

Sources:

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/12/12/phones-are-selling-location-data-from-trusted-apps/

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html

This does nothing to stop them tracking you, there's another hidden option in the Google Account Settings that must also be turned off.

 

Go here, scroll down to Location History and turn the option off using the blue toggle switch, Google will ask you twice to OK this change.

 

Turning it off on the phone stops the phone from keeping records but Google's servers still keep them anyway. You must also turn it off on the server.