An investigation found that iPhone users' locations were shared to third-party businesses, made possible by apps that ask customers to provide their whereabouts.
The New York Times recently took a closer look on apps that gather users' locations and provide the details to other companies such as advertisers and firms. The information, which the gatherer can either sell immediately or at a later time, will serve as a useful data for the third-party.
The paper presented a harrowing account of how this could be dangerous for users as the process had the chance to identify the exact whereabouts of a person. Moreover, it gives an idea of the routines of a person, making it easier to track them.
How To Avoid Sharing Location Data For iPhone Users
All these are happening without the consent of the users, who just installed an app. The outlet, however, was quick to point out that the solution to this madness lies in the hands of the owners. Apparently, it pays to always check the privacy setting of the apps downloaded and installed.
For iOs users, open the Settings icon and click the Privacy option. This will open a series of icons, but tap the Location Services, which will then provide the user the list of apps that have access to his/her location. There, owners can choose to select Never, which means they will not allow the program to get their whereabouts; While Using the App, the app can only get the location when it is being used; and Always, apps can always track the location.
iOS Apps That Share Location
There were 200 apps in iOS that get the location while for Android users, 1,200, mobile analysis firm MightySignal revealed. The newspaper tested 20 programs that were previously tagged as location-gatherer and -sharer. Seventeen of these apps sent specific data to about 70 businesses, but one in particular stood out.
It turned out that WeatherBug, an app for iOS users, shared location information to 40 firms, with some of which said the data were "inappropriate" or "unsolicited." GroundTruth, which owns the app, said it asks the permission of the users to share their location to companies for personalized ads.
GroundTruth then sends the data to companies, but the recipients also have the option to tell the tech company that they don't want the data. theScore app, meanwhile, told users that providing their locations would "recommend local teams and players that are relevant to you." As a result, this program gave the data to 16 companies.
The Weather Channel, the most popular weather app on the App Store, told users that providing their location was crucial so it can provide apt, personalized forecasts. However, the data were used for hedge funds.
Many companies that were mildly transparent when it comes to gathering location information gave vague or "misleading" explanations. The feature also highlights that although some companies insist that they simply look at the pattern and not target specific individuals, it raises higher risk of misuse.
