Data from Mobile Applications and Advertising Networks Reveals Sensitive Information, According to American Special Services
The data obtained from mobile applications and advertising networks provide a detailed picture of the online activity of billions of devices. This information is of value to government structures around the world. According to the recent report of the American special services, data collected by consumer technologies reveal sensitive information about each of us.
The Wall Street Journal discovered a network of brokers and advertising sites, whose information was sent to the US Department of Defense and Intelligence intelligence through the Near Intelligence. This information acquired or received by many organizations may be among persons who have contacts with government agencies.
When opening an advertising application on the phone, information about the user enters the flow of data that passes through many hands. For example, the Life 360 application, designed for family safety, collects extensive data on the movement of devices. Some of these data, through intermediaries, including Near Intelligence, ultimately got to state contractors.
Information from mobile phones is collected by brokers of data, which then repack it for sale to their customers. Some applications directly sell geolocation and other technical data on the device for data brokers.
| Near Intelligence | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | India |
| Office Locations | USA, France |
Near Intelligence, with headquarters in India and offices in the USA and France, until recently received data from other brokers and advertising networks. She had several contracts with state contractors who transferred these data to American intelligence services.
Privacy and legal issues inside the NEA warned the company’s management about risks related to the conservation and resale of data. In one of the letters, the general adviser to Near, Jay Angelo, indicated violations in the field of confidentiality.
In response to the charges, Near said she had taken measures to ensure confidentiality, including the termination of