What data do location tracking apps collect in your phone?
Many applications that you install in your phone, whether it is an Android or iPhone phone for the first time, offer you the option to request permission to track your geographic location to provide you with the best experience, such as: navigation applications, weather or food orders, and while asking such applications to track your location may be Naturally as this is part of how it works
But there are some applications that request permission to track your location and this is not necessary for their work, and they often want to collect your data for the purpose of selling it to advertising companies, but have you ever wondered what data the location tracking applications collect in your phone?
According to a new study published by researchers (Mirco Musolesi) from the University of Bologna in Italy and (Benjamin Baron) from University College London, the personal data collected by these applications is very sensitive.
Where the researchers used an application they developed specifically for this study, and up to 69 study participants installed the application on their phones for at least two weeks, with the aim of knowing the amount of location data and personal information these applications collected, and the results were very terrifying.
During this time period, more than 200,000 websites were tracked, nearly 2,500 locations were identified, and about 5,000 items of personal information related to demographics and personality were collected, while participants according to the study believed that the most sensitive data collected through the app was related to their health, socioeconomic status and race. And their religion.
In this regard, researcher Mirco Musolesi says:
“We believe that it is important to show users the amount and quality of data that is being collected, especially that which applications can collect by tracking their geographical locations, and just as important for us is to understand whether users believe that sharing information with application developers or marketing companies is acceptable. Or they consider it a violation of their privacy ”.
He added:
“This study can help shed light on the development of systems that can automatically prevent the collection of sensitive data from third parties - third parties - thanks to the previously defined privacy settings, and this means that more applications can draw attention to the presence of site settings turned on, and data That collect exactly, or show what violates the privacy of the user.
What should you do to limit these apps from tracking your location?
If you do not want the applications you installed in your phone to collect your data and personal information and track you, the best solution is to disable location services, bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity when they are not in use, in addition to giving the applications the fewest permissions possible, and activating settings Browser privacy to prohibit the use of location data, and the use of one of the trusted VPN services.