Thread by @WolfieChristl

So far the most comprehensive report on how all kinds of mobile apps share or sell location data with data brokers, who in turn sell it to US military and defense contractors, all without the users' knowledge.

The mobile app ecosystem is totally broken.
vice.com/en/article/jgq…

Who is to blame?

- Tech giants Google+Apple and lobbyists from many industries (especially in advertising/marketing) who fought any regulation
- US politicians, who didn't pass appropriate legislation
- EU politicians, who don't get the GDPR enforced
- App vendors who don't care

It's a systemic fail, and it's the whole surveillance-based web and app economy that is failing.

In many cases not even app vendors know who they actually sell user data to. However, they do know that the shady SDKs they embed into their apps share data in an uncontrolled way.

At the latest since February 2020, everyone in the industry knows that data from the SDK and advertising sphere is flowing to US federal agencies without a warrant. App vendors, who didn't clean up their supply chain since then, must be held responsible.

https://twitter.com/WolfieChristl/status/1225770079595438083

Above all, tech giants Google/Apple must be held accountable, of course, and their platform power must be broken. Location data brokers who sell personal information to clients or for purposes people are not aware of should cease to exist, and digital advertising needs a reboot.

Not sure whether app vendors and location data brokers like Babel Street and X-Mode can be legally challenged in the US under the current privacy frameworks. In some cases, it may be possible.

It's certainly possible in the EU.

I don't see how Babel Street and X-Mode could have a legal basis to process personal data on EU users in this way under the GDPR. If they do.

Dear EU authorities,
X-Mode claims to track the movements of 'up to 10%' of people in the UK, Spain, Italy and France via mobile apps:
xmode.io/data-licensing/

X-Mode says it sells location data to US military contractors for 'counter-terrorism' purposes:
vice.com/en/article/jgq…

This is enough to launch an urgent inquiry. Actually, the investigation should have been started months ago (if not years).

Personal data on EU mobile app users flowing to the US military *without* a legal basis would be a blatant violation of the GDPR and EU fundamental rights.

I'd say, this is a false dichotomy. It's not either pay with $ or data. If there is a law that prohibits personal data sharing/exploitation, and it's strictly enforced (=level playing field) there will 100% still be Muslim prayer apps that do not cost $.

https://twitter.com/ns_ahmed/status/1328412151384600576