An investigation exposes data brokers using ads to help track almost any phone
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
An investigation conducted by a data privacy group has revealed a vast tracking network that can follow the movements of a person’s phone, according to reports from 404 Media and Krebs on Security. The people-tracking service, called Locate X, reportedly lets users follow a device using its mobile advertising identifier, a unique number assigned to phones.
The New Jersey-based Atlas Data Privacy Corp, which aims to help people remove their personal information from data brokers, found that the software is capable of showing the whereabouts of mobile phones on a map, allowing anyone with access to track someone’s precise location across state lines, according to 404 Media. The information could then be used to figure out a specific phone...