Privacy isn\u2019t what it used to be. In the digital economy, anyone who uses a smartphone or the internet \u2014 which is just about everybody \u2014 routinely chooses to trade a measure of privacy for all the conveniences of app-driven technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question is whether that trade-off is a good one. Consider location tracking, for instance. In worst-case scenarios, stalkers and abusers use \u201cspy apps<\/a>\u201d to track their victims. Those are extreme examples, but if you\u2019re in the habit of simply saying yes to your apps\u2019 permissions, you may want to stop and think about that for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Location tracking is a core part of many apps, beyond obvious categories like mapping\/navigation and weather. Review services use your location to suggest businesses you might want to patronize in your area, and retailers use your location to select the most relevant store and sales flyers for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea, in short, is that knowing your location makes app providers better able to serve you. That could be as immediately practical as suggesting a good burger place within a few blocks of your office or knowing which of the three hardware stores in your vicinity has a part in stock for your faucet. These are good things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem is that many apps expect permission to use your location even when it\u2019s not really needed. A calculator program doesn\u2019t need to know where you are, and neither do most games (Pok\u00e9mon Go is an obvious exception). Apps that ask for your location unnecessarily are likely using it simply to flesh out the data they collect \u2014 and monetize \u2014 from your usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That can lead to awkward situations. In one highly publicized example, a popular fitness app accidentally revealed potentially dangerous information<\/a> about US military and intelligence installations. As a result, the military now bans troops<\/a> from bringing their mobile devices on deployments to hot spots around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stakes aren\u2019t usually that high for civilian users, but there\u2019s still definite potential for misuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadly, turning off location services won\u2019t necessarily stop you from being tracked. Some apps \u2014 malicious or just poorly coded \u2014 will continue to track your location even if you turn off location services. Another vulnerability comes from the software development kits (SDKs) developers use to speed coding (like buying from Ikea instead of building a desk from scratch). Apps built from the same kit will sometimes exchange data<\/a>, so any app you\u2019ve given those permissions to may pass your location to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others use less obvious sensor data<\/a> from your phone \u2014 its gyroscope, accelerometer and compass \u2014 and combine that with data from other sources, like your phone\u2019s digital encounters with the wireless networks in your vicinity and Wi-Fi hotspots you pass in the run of your normal day. Those data points, once collated, can give a frighteningly accurate picture of your routine. Data that has your name removed isn\u2019t especially anonymous when these other data sources can identify you down to a specific router with a specific IP address, within a specific building and on a specific floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past few years, various jurisdictions have begun to pass laws which compel tech firms to disclose what information they gather and how they handle it. The most important of these to date have been the European Union\u2019s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in 2018, and California\u2019s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which became effective in January of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re the inspiration for the banners and pop-ups you now see, offering to explain an app or site\u2019s privacy policies, use of cookies and utilization of your personal data. As these new laws come into force, companies will face restrictions on how they ask for and use your location data. In the meantime, your own informed consent \u2014 or withholding of consent \u2014 is a starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re concerned about privacy or your physical security, turning location services off is certainly a valid first step. You can always activate them again when you need to use apps that rely on them. The steps are similar but not identical across different versions of Android and iOS. To find instructions that will work for you, search something like \u201chow to turn off location on iPhone\u201d or \u201chow to turn off location services,\u201d and then specify your phone or OS version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve done that, there are several other measures you can take to improve your data security. No one of them is a complete solution in itself, but you can measurably improve your privacy if you follow these and other best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not that major players like Google, Apple, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter won\u2019t have privacy and data-security issues \u2014 most of them do, and more will crop up in future. The advantage of mainstream apps is that those big players are the subject of intensive scrutiny, so their shortcomings quickly become public knowledge. Just as importantly, they have the resources to quickly patch vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are hundreds of thousands of great free apps, but developers who don\u2019t charge for their software usually make their money from your data. Most paid apps cost little more than a cup of coffee \u2014 sometimes much less \u2014 and having a separate revenue stream means they\u2019re not as motivated to monetize your location data and other personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During World War II, when gasoline was rationed, posters everywhere challenged drivers with the question \u201cIs this trip necessary?\u201d Applying the same logic to your apps makes perfect sense: Instead of installing any app that catches your eye, ask yourself whether it\u2019s something you\u2019re likely to use in the long term. If it isn\u2019t, maybe you should just skip it. The more apps you install, the greater the likelihood that one of them will play fast and loose with your location data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the smartphone era, apps could ask for a given set of permissions and your choices were, basically, to take it or leave it. Newer versions of Android and iOS are more nuanced, often allowing you to disable one permission \u2014 like location services \u2014 while allowing others, or to allow those permissions only when the app is actively in use. Early test versions of Android 11<\/a> show the option of allowing \u201cthis time only\u201d permissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On websites, the pop-up boxes and banners with GDPR or CCPA privacy notices will tell you what information the site gathers, and in some cases how it\u2019s used. Read them, or use your browser\u2019s features and extensions to block tracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One final step in controlling your online presence is \u2014 to the extent you can \u2014 to identify the information about you<\/a> that\u2019s already in circulation. For example, you might opt to use Spokeo\u2019s search tools<\/a> to see whether publicly available information connects your phone number or online usernames to your real name or personal social media accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If that information is available from public, responsibly sourced information \u2014 the kind Spokeo aggregates \u2014 you can be sure marketers have access to much, much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Privacy isn\u2019t what it used to be. In the digital economy, anyone who uses a smartphone or the internet \u2014 which is just about everybody \u2014 routinely chooses to trade…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":23532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Case for Location Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Case Against Location Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Ugly Truth About Your Lack of Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Rise of Data-Privacy Legislation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Balancing Function and Convenience With Security<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stick to Mainstream Apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Choose Paid Over Free<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t Be a Magpie<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pay Attention to Permissions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Research Yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
References<\/h3>\n\n\n\n