You might not have heard of Babel Street or Location X, but these companies likely know a lot about you and the people you know who use their phones all the time. Babel Street is based in Reston, Virginia, and runs Location X, a service that can track the locations of millions of phone users for long periods. They claim to limit the use of this service to government law enforcement agencies in the U.S., but someone who wanted to learn more was able to get a two-week free trial just by saying they might work for a government agency in the future.
How Location Tracking Works
KrebsOnSecurity, a news organization, got access to the data from this trial. One feature of Location X is that it can show a history of where internet-connected devices have traveled, like drawing a line between two places or outlining a building or city.
For example, the data included nearly 100,000 location points for a New Jersey police officer who was targeted in a doxing campaign. This campaign involved threats to her family from people who knew where she lived and had her phone number. The information collected painted a very detailed picture of the officer’s movements over several months.
Another news outlet, 404 Media, reported that they could see more than 700 phones that visited an abortion clinic in Florida. They traced one specific phone back to Alabama, showing its journey through various places before arriving at the clinic and staying there for two hours.
How Tracking Happens
This extensive data collection is possible because of tracking features built into Android and iOS devices. Android assigns a unique ad ID to each device, which can be accessed by any app with location permission. In contrast, iOS keeps its tracking ID private but allows apps to request access to it.
Many apps have permission to access your location and then sell that data to companies. This data is also used in online advertising, where advertisers bid for ads based on your location and other information.
Protecting Your Location Privacy
To prevent your location from being constantly shared, users can change settings on their phones. Here’s how to do it:
For Android Users:
- Go to Settings > Location > App location permissions to see which apps have location access.
- Change permissions to “always,” “never,” “only while using the app,” or “ask each time.”
- To delete your advertising ID, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Ads and choose “Delete advertising ID.”
For iOS Users:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services to check app permissions.
- Turn off “Allow Apps to Request to Track” in Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
- Check Apple Advertising and make sure “Personalized Ads” is turned off.
Conclusion
Babel Street and Location X highlight the importance of being aware of how our location data is collected and used. By understanding and adjusting privacy settings on our phones, we can take steps to protect our personal information from being tracked and sold. It’s crucial for everyone to regularly review app permissions and be mindful of which apps are accessing their location data.