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Apps and Location Tracking: What Are the Consequences?
Apps collect and sell location data—with serious privacy implications. We explain what’s collected, how it’s used (e.g. Tim Hortons), and practical steps to limit tracking on your phone.
Demystifying TikTok's collection of your data
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Introduction
TikTok’s extensive data collection, including personal information and device usage patterns, raises privacy and security concerns, particularly due to its China-based parent company, ByteDance. While some experts argue that TikTok’s data collection is not inherently malicious, others express skepticism about the transparency of its practices.
What TikTok gathers from you
TikTok collects various types of information from users:
- Personal Data: Tiktok has access to personal data like contacts, calendars, information about which device you’re using, which operating system and your location.
- TikTok monitors the content you engage with and for how long – similar to Facebook.
- Device Usage: TikTok monitors how you use your device and how it functions, including “keystroke patterns or rhythms, battery state, audio settings and connected audio devices,”.
- Location Data: TikTok can collect precise GPS information about its users.
Implications of data collection
Data collection by social media platforms like TikTok can pose several risky implications for everyday users:
- Privacy Concerns: Social media platforms often collect extensive personal data, including contacts, location, and browsing habits. This raises concerns about user privacy, especially if this data is shared or sold to third parties without consent.
- Targeted Advertising: User data is often used to create targeted advertising campaigns. While some users may find this convenient, others may feel uncomfortable with the level of personalization and the potential manipulation of their preferences and behaviors.
- Data Breaches: Storing large amounts of personal data increases the risk of data breaches. If a platform’s security measures are breached, users‘ sensitive information could be exposed, leading to identity theft, financial fraud, or other forms of cybercrime.
- Surveillance and Tracking: Social media platforms track users‘ online activities across different websites and devices to create comprehensive profiles. This surveillance can infringe on user privacy and autonomy, as individuals may feel constantly monitored and manipulated by algorithms.
- Political Manipulation: Social media platforms have been implicated in spreading misinformation, propaganda, and divisive content. By collecting user data and targeting specific demographics, malicious actors can exploit social media for political manipulation and influence campaigns.
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Introduction
Of the many digital traces we leave in daily life, location metadata may be the most revealing. Location tracking is common in many applications because it’s so useful – it can allow you to get directions from here to there, discover the closest restaurants near you, or tell you your local weather conditions. These perks, however, can come with large privacy risks.
Companies that you would never suspect needing so much of your data, are quietly collecting enormous amounts of data. For example, in 2020, an investigation was done on Tim Hortons, as the Tim Hortons app reportedly tracked an individual’s location more than 2,700 times in five months. Commissioners say Tim Hortons collected “vast amounts” of granular location data with the aim of delivering targeted advertising, to better promote its coffee and associated products, but that it never actually used the data for this purpose.
Some of the apps on our phone sell or share location data about their users with companies that analyze the data and sell their insights. There are many ways location data can be used, and the market for this data is huge – the location data industry is an estimated $12 billion market. Collectors, aggregators, marketplaces, and location intelligence firms are potential buyers interested in your location data.
What is being collected?
Some apps genuinely need your location to work properly, but others have different motives. Many collect location data for reasons unrelated to their main function, like targeted ads or selling it to data brokers.
Once an app collects your location data, you lose control over where it goes. It can be sold repeatedly—from data providers to aggregators that combine information from multiple sources. It could end up in the hands of a “location intelligence” firm that uses the raw data to analyze foot traffic for retail shopping areas and the demographics associated with its visitors.
You might think, “I have nothing to hide.” But location data can reveal much more than you realize, such as:
- Where you get medical treatment and what kind
- If you visit a domestic abuse shelter
- Where you worship
- Where your kids play (if they have phones)
- When you’re on vacation and where you go
- Where you shop, eat, and bank
- Who you spend time with
Even though this data isn’t directly linked to your name, experts have shown that it’s easy to match location history with other data to identify people and their habits. In 2020, a religious publication used smartphone app data to infer the sexual orientation of a high-ranking Roman Catholic official. The publication claimed it obtained “commercially available” location data from an unnamed vendor and linked it to the priest’s phone, revealing visits to gay bars and private residences while using Grindr, a dating app popular with the LGBTQ+ community.
Privacy advocates have long cautioned that advertisers gather location and personal data, which is then compiled and sold by data brokers. This information can be used to identify individuals and is not subject to regulations requiring clear consent from those being tracked.
What can I do to limit location tracking?
The quickest and easiest way to reduce tracking is to delete unnecessary apps. Both Android and Apple allow you to check which apps have access to your location and whether they track it only while in use or all the time. If you don’t use an app often, consider removing it.
Your location can be tracked through your phone, logged-in accounts, internet connection, and location services. To limit oversharing, take these steps:
- Only allow location access for apps that truly need it.
- Set location permissions to “While Using the App” instead of “Always.”
- Only share “Find My Phone” with trusted friends and family.
- Review third-party apps in location settings—you might be sharing more than you realize.
Despite these precautions, location tracking can’t be completely eliminated. It’s important to support companies that provide clear and transparent privacy policies.
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Travelling and Social Media – How To Keep Safe
Posting vacation photos in real time can make you a target. We share five tips: private accounts, no travel details, share after you return, and educate kids—plus how Richter Guardian helps secure social accounts.
Introduction
It’s natural to want to capture the moments from your special vacations and share them on platforms like Facebook and Instagram with family and friends. However, posting these photos while you are still on your trip can expose you to various cybersecurity risks. Cybercriminals often exploit social media to gather information about your travel plans, and by sharing your vacation in real time, you may unknowingly make yourself a target.
How to enhance your security on vacation
By following these precautions, you can enjoy your vacation while minimizing the risks associated with social media sharing:
- Set Your Account to Private: Restrict access to your personal information by sharing only with people you know. Public settings allow anyone to view your posts, potentially putting you at risk.
- Decline Requests from Unfamiliar Individuals: Be cautious when receiving friend requests from strangers. Unfamiliar profiles might be cybercriminals in disguise, aiming to extract money or steal your identity.
- Avoid Posting Travel Details or Itineraries: Keep your travel arrangements private. Sharing confirmation numbers for hotel reservations, airline tickets, or excursions online can provide cybercriminals with valuable information they can exploit.
- Share Photos After Returning Home: Although it may be tempting to post in real-time, consider waiting until you’re back home. You can still share your vacation highlights, and it’s a safer approach.
- Educate Your Children on Social Media Safety: While you might be aware of how to stay safe online, your children might not. Ensure they understand the importance of secure sharing practices during and after the trip.
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Request a private consultation to find out whether Richter Guardian is a good fit for you.
Potential Concern with Apple's New NameDrop Feature
Apple’s NameDrop feature in iOS 17.1 shares contacts when iPhones are held close. Law enforcement recommends turning it off for children. We explain the feature and how Richter Guardian can help with device safety.
Introduction
In Early November, Apple released ‘NameDrop’ as part of the iOS 17.1 operating system update. NameDrop allows users to share saved contacts between other newer iPhones or Apple Watches within an inch of each other. While the prompt must be accepted to share contact information, several law enforcement agencies recommend parents to change this feature for children.
Summary of the incident
The ‘NameDrop’ feature is similar to Apple’s AirDrop functionality. When NameDrop is enabled, two iPhone users can activate the feature by holding the top ends of their iPhones together. After that, the users can tap ‘Share’ or ‘Receive Only’. The NameDrop feature is automatically enabled once a user updates to iOS 17.1.
While the feature itself is not a threat, law enforcement agencies are concerned that the feature puts children at a bigger risk with connecting to strangers. Children may not be completely aware when accepting a new ‘Share’ or ‘Receive Only’ prompt. Police recommend turning the feature off for children once they upgrade to iOS 17.1.
Recommendations
- Turn the ‘NameDrop’ Feature Off for Children – It is good practice to upgrade your iPhone devices to the latest operating system update. The latest operating system update will include ‘NameDrop’ and automatically enable the feature. To turn off the NameDrop feature, complete the following:
Navigate to iPhone Settings > General > Airdrop > Bringing Devices Together > Off.
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Request a private consultation to find out whether Richter Guardian is a good fit for you.