"FCC fines wireless carriers millions for sharing user locations without consent"
https://lnkd.in/gnQnA_9s
Are we really surprised? 🤨
Geolocation is one of the most sensitive and neglected types of data.
Let's look at what is going on in Canada:
• EnStream is a joint venture by the largest telcos in Canada. "Reliable mobile device location that can’t be spoofed and that requires no preloaded device software. Supported on any mobile device on any participating network." See: https://lnkd.in/gur3Uj5g
• Sharing of 33 million devices with the Public Health Agency of Canada by Telus and Rogers during COVID sparked an investigation from the OPC and concluded the info was properly de-identified. But... what about the carriers themselves? See https://lnkd.in/gUDjH8Y2
App-based geolocation is also a plague.
I dug out a 2022 article from La Presse on this topic (translated & adapted):
• Campsite can provide age and gender on top of geolocation.
• Environics Analytics - owned by Bell - 100,000 apps feed into "MobileScape", going back in time to 2018. Raw data reveal "almost in real time" where consumers live, work, spend and play; at what time and for how long.
• Propulso, can locate over 1 billion devices "to within three meters".
• Spotzi relies on data from 200,000 mobile applications and combine with answers to sometimes highly intrusive survey questions.
https://lnkd.in/ehDdzx_Q
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada stated that Tim Horton's app violated privacy laws by collecting of ‘vast amounts’ of sensitive location data... See: https://lnkd.in/gu6VVYRc