Location data is personal data according to GDPR, and Telcos arw not allow to process it without consent, and especially not to sell it. There are easy how to use them in anonymized aggregated form, that cannot be traced back to the individual.
On a single user level, there was an Israeli scientific article proving that it is generally enough to confirm 3 location points to identify the person from location data.
So- it is VERY sensitive and should not be allowed to apps, google, or telcos to collect and use it just like that
Google asks for consent to store this data, at least in EU. That's the whole point of GDPR. You are also able to request the data and request its deletion.
Obviously if you allow apps access to the data, they will have such access. What's exactly the surprising twist here? You can't tell me anyone who is using sports app that publishes their location data (sometimes live!) is surprised that such data is collected.
Regarding Google blatantly collecting and processing data against the user specific wishes, this would be illegal. And while it's obvious truth that Google and similar companies have not always followed the law, I would be surprised if they did it in this case, in such explicit way. And if they do, advocating for more laws to prevent it is not going to fix the issue, is it.
Google (and Apple) have very strict rules regarding those things and it's really not that simple for app developers to break them. Specifically about the location tracking, Android system does not share this information with the app without specific user consent. So Google would have to break its own rules just for the benefit of some third party app.
There are still various privacy concerns and issues of course, but over the last 5-10 years a lot has improved, mostly due to EU regulations. It used to be completely wild west.
EU laws have prohibited these crimes since the introduction of GDPR.
Your government instead tramples on the rights of us Europeans for private gains. Before positioning American soldiers think about medical data of American citizenship sold to pharmaceutical companies and health insurance. Oh, for the record the US government buys data of European citizens from the corrupt and pro-Putin UK government
If I were the dictator of the Earth, I would outlaw a great many things. Unfortunately, the Earth seems to be mostly governed by Big Money, Today... Still, some of the data collection would be at least a little bit harder if its "victims" wouldn't cooperate willingly. Should we outlaw that, too?
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world that keeps things like GPS and Wi-Fi on my smartphone off by default unless I actually need them right now. I've seen people argue that "it's too much trouble to switch them on and off constantly" and I can't help but wonder if they feel the same way about lights in their WCs. If nothing else, it saves a bit of battery life...
The problem is that Android can collect that data even when it's "disabled". Turning those features off is complicated and who knows if you disabled them all. On top of it, it gets turned back on after some update. There could be a law mandating that this is easily controlled. Without such a law efforts to keep it off are futile.
Surveillance like this was a main reason the US banned Huawei from providing 5G equipment and servers in the US. Since the Chinese government can by law demand any data the IT companies in China collect on anyone, the US government considered the company an arm of the Chinese intelligence community.....
Haaretz had an article on this several weeks ago - Iran gained significant intelligence on Israeli military bases through tracking cell phones.
Of course with Israeli soldiers posting all sorts of videos on social media (including their commission of war crimes) it didn't require any exceptional effort to do so. Even though it was prohibited soldiers took and continue to take their phones with them when deployed.
And I am sure Israel is doing the same with its intelligence services - how else to explain precision strikes on automobiles and motorcycles driven or occupied by 'high level terrorist operatives.' Or the fact that a school or hospital full of refugees in Gaza (or a residence in the West Bank) just happens to be the site of a 'terrorist planning session' requiring a 'precision strike' to foil...
At any rate I doubt that China or Russia is that far behind in implementing this and may even already have it in place.
Location data is personal data according to GDPR, and Telcos arw not allow to process it without consent, and especially not to sell it. There are easy how to use them in anonymized aggregated form, that cannot be traced back to the individual.
On a single user level, there was an Israeli scientific article proving that it is generally enough to confirm 3 location points to identify the person from location data.
So- it is VERY sensitive and should not be allowed to apps, google, or telcos to collect and use it just like that
Google asks for consent to store this data, at least in EU. That's the whole point of GDPR. You are also able to request the data and request its deletion.
Obviously if you allow apps access to the data, they will have such access. What's exactly the surprising twist here? You can't tell me anyone who is using sports app that publishes their location data (sometimes live!) is surprised that such data is collected.
Regarding Google blatantly collecting and processing data against the user specific wishes, this would be illegal. And while it's obvious truth that Google and similar companies have not always followed the law, I would be surprised if they did it in this case, in such explicit way. And if they do, advocating for more laws to prevent it is not going to fix the issue, is it.
Google (and Apple) have very strict rules regarding those things and it's really not that simple for app developers to break them. Specifically about the location tracking, Android system does not share this information with the app without specific user consent. So Google would have to break its own rules just for the benefit of some third party app.
There are still various privacy concerns and issues of course, but over the last 5-10 years a lot has improved, mostly due to EU regulations. It used to be completely wild west.
EU laws have prohibited these crimes since the introduction of GDPR.
Your government instead tramples on the rights of us Europeans for private gains. Before positioning American soldiers think about medical data of American citizenship sold to pharmaceutical companies and health insurance. Oh, for the record the US government buys data of European citizens from the corrupt and pro-Putin UK government
https://www.politico.eu/article/britain-illegal-use-eu-migration-data/
bullocks! the UK govt us definitely not pro Putin. The US though is.. witness holding back arms to Ukrainebfirv6 months and permissions to use them.
Get Re and stop twisting facts
Did you read the link? UK government sell ue citizen data to USA and Russia.
I want to apologize for the tone used. I didn't mean to offend anyone.
If I were the dictator of the Earth, I would outlaw a great many things. Unfortunately, the Earth seems to be mostly governed by Big Money, Today... Still, some of the data collection would be at least a little bit harder if its "victims" wouldn't cooperate willingly. Should we outlaw that, too?
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world that keeps things like GPS and Wi-Fi on my smartphone off by default unless I actually need them right now. I've seen people argue that "it's too much trouble to switch them on and off constantly" and I can't help but wonder if they feel the same way about lights in their WCs. If nothing else, it saves a bit of battery life...
The problem is that Android can collect that data even when it's "disabled". Turning those features off is complicated and who knows if you disabled them all. On top of it, it gets turned back on after some update. There could be a law mandating that this is easily controlled. Without such a law efforts to keep it off are futile.
Surveillance like this was a main reason the US banned Huawei from providing 5G equipment and servers in the US. Since the Chinese government can by law demand any data the IT companies in China collect on anyone, the US government considered the company an arm of the Chinese intelligence community.....
Haaretz had an article on this several weeks ago - Iran gained significant intelligence on Israeli military bases through tracking cell phones.
Of course with Israeli soldiers posting all sorts of videos on social media (including their commission of war crimes) it didn't require any exceptional effort to do so. Even though it was prohibited soldiers took and continue to take their phones with them when deployed.
And I am sure Israel is doing the same with its intelligence services - how else to explain precision strikes on automobiles and motorcycles driven or occupied by 'high level terrorist operatives.' Or the fact that a school or hospital full of refugees in Gaza (or a residence in the West Bank) just happens to be the site of a 'terrorist planning session' requiring a 'precision strike' to foil...
At any rate I doubt that China or Russia is that far behind in implementing this and may even already have it in place.
Glad I do not have...nor want a smart phone/anchor.