380 million location data from 137 countries: a previously unknown data set from a US data broker shows the dangers of global data trading. 40,000 apps are affected, including queer dating apps. For some apps, the shared location data is very precise.
The obvious next question is: what features do these apps have in common? Do they share a development platform or ad network? Do they use Firebase or some other diagnostics/debug platform?
Because I suspect that they’re all using some sort of “free” or ad supported component that just happens to be owned by a shell company belonging to either a data broker or a company selling large amounts of data to one.
I interviewed a bunch of years ago with a company called “xmode social” (I was in desperate need of a job. I fortunately did not get that one.) They had a framework that they paid app publishers in to include in their apps. That framework collected your location data and sent it to xmode who sold that data. That was their entire business AFAIK.
There don’t need to be any shared features for companies to include shit like that in their apps. They just need a way to make the line go up.
There was recent hack on data broker use realtime ad bid stream for location without any code in app. Will link if find again.
Edit: https://feddit.org/post/6677139