A study reveals that data brokers use ads to track nearly any phone.
The tool can accurately track the movement of a phone.
A research conducted by a specialized data privacy group has revealed the existence of a broad tracking network capable of monitoring mobile phone movements. This people-tracking service, called Locate X, allows users to follow a device using its mobile advertising identifier, a unique number assigned to each phone.
Atlas Data Privacy Corp, a New Jersey-based company dedicated to helping individuals eliminate their personal information from data brokers, has discovered that this software can display the location of mobile phones on a map. This enables anyone with access to track someone's exact location across state lines. The collected information could also be used to determine the specific identity of the phone's owner.
A video of the software, presented by various media outlets, revealed a group of hundreds of mobile phones represented by red dots on a map located over an abortion clinic. The software demonstrated how a particular device moved from one location to another, starting at a residence in Alabama, passing by a Lowe's, a church, and finally arriving at an abortion clinic in Florida. It is important to note that abortion is illegal in Alabama, while in Florida a ban has been implemented after six weeks. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, concerns have arisen regarding law enforcement's access to location data, leading companies like Google to automatically delete visits to abortion clinics from a user's location history.
This system is based on the mobile advertising ID that Google and Apple assign to each phone to provide targeted ads to users. Advertisers can build an evolving profile of information about that identifier based on where services that supply ads are accessed. This also forms a network of locations used by data brokers like Babel Street, which develops Locate X, to create tracking tools.
Although access to Locate X should be restricted, Atlas's investigation revealed that Babel Street's sales team did not always adhere to the limitations set by the company. Atlas hired a private investigator to contact Babel Street and, posing as a potential customer, expressed interest in obtaining information about residential addresses in New Jersey. Reportedly, a Babel Street salesperson mentioned Locate X, stating that it is only available to government officials or contractors. However, when the investigator indicated that they were considering engaging in government work, the salesperson replied that "that's enough" and that "they don't actually check."
Currently, Atlas is suing Babel Street for alleged violations of a New Jersey data privacy law.
