Singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” parents tell their children, “He sees you when you’re sleeping/he knows when you’re awake/he knows if you’ve been bad or good/so be good for goodness’ sake!”
Although that line was likely intended to push kids to watch their actions (and words) even when their parents were out of the room, in the modern world it’s smartphone-toting parents whose every move is monitored, and it’s not Santa who’s watching.
Instead, as highlighted by an investigation by the New York Times, the apps that you agreed to give access to your location data are actually keeping track of where you are, sometimes updating precise locations every few minutes or seconds.
Late night trips to the drug store? The typical morning commute to work? A visit to the doctor? The date with your partner? Chances are your phone has meticulously recorded all of it and that data has likely been sold to a third party.
For an idea of how revealing that data is, as the New York Times notes, it’s not that hard to figure out who the owner of a phone is based on location pings. Chances are, it’s the person who spends their nights at a given address, information which is often available through public records.
Of course, all that data floating around isn’t necessarily a bad thing even if it is a bit unsettling. Collecting and selling data helps craft targeted ads and is a lucrative business, allowing apps with useful features to remain free.
In aggregate form, location information offers important insights into trends and the sort of large data sets that facilitate the development of things like Artificial Intelligence. That data is key to new developments, but that doesn’t mean that the collection of so much data on a single individual that could likely be identified isn’t unsettling. It is.
But as lawmakers try to figure out how much companies should disclose about the collection and sale of personal data, if smartphone users don’t want Santa, Big Brother, or other prying eyes peering into their lives, the best bet is turning off those location sharing options on apps or, at least, reading the fine print to figure out how information is being shared.
