"Some app developers were not aware who their users' location data ends up with. Even if a user examines an app's privacy policy, they may not realize how many different industries, companies, or govt agencies are buying some of their most sensitive data"
vice.com/en/article/jgq…
vice.com/en/article/jgq…
"U.S. law enforcement purchase of such information has raised questions about authorities buying their way to location data that may ordinarily require a warrant to access."
The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) contract and additional reporting is the first evidence that U.S. location data purchases have extended from law enforcement to military agencies."
The Locate X data itself is anonymized, but the source said "we could absolutely deanonymize a person." Babel Street employees would "play with it, to be honest," the former employee added.
Also purchasing location data from apps via data brokers:
- US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Internal Secret Service
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Internal Secret Service
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
In a recent interview with CNN, X-Mode CEO Joshua Anton said the company tracks 25 million devices inside the United States every month, and 40 million elsewhere, including in the European Union, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region:
edition.cnn.com/videos/busines…
edition.cnn.com/videos/busines…
"As well as the Muslim prayer app, Motherboard also installed the Muslim Mingle dating app onto an Android phone and observed the app sending precise geolocation coordinates of the phone's current location and wifi network name to X-Mode multiple times."
Senator Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) told Motherboard in a statement that X-Mode said it is selling location data harvested from U.S. phones to U.S. military customers.
"I was not aware that X-Mode was selling those data to some military contractors," Nicolas Dedouche, CEO at app development firm Mobzapp. "I cannot be aware X-Mode is working with military contractors if they do not clearly mention it somewhere."
Oooh, tech ethics question
Oooh, tech ethics question
Or, you could....ask them? And then it is your responsibility if you decide to give them people's data. And if that is illegal, you can be held liable.
"I cannot be aware X-Mode is working with military contractors if they do not clearly mention it somewhere."
"I cannot be aware X-Mode is working with military contractors if they do not clearly mention it somewhere."
"The disclaimers themselves do not explicitly say the data will be sent to military contractors or a private intelligence firm."
Q: How many people, when downloading an app, know that they are consenting to have their location data sold to the US military/ US law enforcement?
Q: How many people, when downloading an app, know that they are consenting to have their location data sold to the US military/ US law enforcement?
@hoofnagle: "It is safe to say from this context that the reasonable consumer—who is not a tech person—would not have military uses of their data in mind, even if they read the disclosures."
"Muslim Pro denied that it sold user data directly to the U.S. military. It confirmed that it had worked with X Mode", a data broker which sold the data to the US military.
lat.ms/3qDHhf3
lat.ms/3qDHhf3
Senator Ron Wyden (@RonWyden):
“Every single American has the right to practice their religion without being spied on. I will continue to watchdog this announcement and ensure Americans’ constitutional rights are protected.”
“Every single American has the right to practice their religion without being spied on. I will continue to watchdog this announcement and ensure Americans’ constitutional rights are protected.”
In an email to VICE, X-Mode said, “Our work with such contractors is international and primarily focused on three use cases: counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and predicting future COVID-19 hotspots.”
nowthisnews.com/news/people-ar…
nowthisnews.com/news/people-ar…
Reminder: the New York Police Department under Mayor Mike Bloomberg spied on the city’s mosques, Muslim-owned businesses, student groups, and community organizations following 9/11 until 2014:
bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts…
bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts…
Jason Anton, CEO + founder of X-Mode, says in early 2020 that his product could be used to track users and "how important is to use data ethically".
Yet X-Mode takes location data directly from apps and sells it contractors, including the US military:
edition.cnn.com/videos/busines…
Yet X-Mode takes location data directly from apps and sells it contractors, including the US military:
edition.cnn.com/videos/busines…
Meanwhile, Christian Faith App Pray.com Leaks Personal Details of Up to 10M User
The app developers failed to secure cloud databases stored on Amazon Web Services.
The app developers failed to secure cloud databases stored on Amazon Web Services.
"The data stored in Pray.com's databases included full names, phone numbers, home addresses, martial status, email addresses, profile images, and "much more" for users of the app across the US. There was also a detailed list of donations made by each individual"
"The risk isn't limited to just Pray.com users. The app includes a Communities social network, which when joined asks if it can invite your friends. If the user agrees, their contact list gets uploaded and this was also publicly exposed."
ACLU files request over data US collected via Muslim app used by millions
‘Harvesting of data on Muslim app users worldwide is a serious threat to privacy and religious freedom,’ the ACLU says
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/d…
‘Harvesting of data on Muslim app users worldwide is a serious threat to privacy and religious freedom,’ the ACLU says
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/d…
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