Apps Illegally Sold Location Data of US Military and Intelligence Personnel

Earlier this year, news reports revealed that a Florida-based data brokerage company had engaged in the sale of location data belonging to US military and intelligence personnel stationed overseas in the course of its operations.

While at the time, it remained unclear to us as to how this sensitive information came into existence. 

However, recent investigations reveal that the data was collected in part through various mobile applications that operated under revenue-sharing agreements with an advertising technology company headquartered in Lithuania.

An American company later resold this data, which was then resold by that firm. Location data collection is one of the most common practices among mobile applications. It is an essential component of navigation and mapping, but it also enhances the functionality of a variety of other applications, such as a camera app that embeds geolocation metadata in the images captured. 

There are concerns raised by the fact that many applications are collecting location data without a clear or justified reason. Apps that run on Apple’s iOS operating system, on the other hand, are mandated to request permission to access location data before they can perform any operation.

Since almost all iPhone users have experienced such requests at some point, even if the use of location tracking does not seem necessary, it is common for them to suggest such requests. Regulations provide a level of tra

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