Reports that the US military is buying the movement data of people around the world are an example of how apps and smart devices are leaking information without users knowing.
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According to Vice, the military uses the collected data for both testing and actual overseas operations. Location data is collected from everything from smartwatches to apps, and observers say users should be aware that devices could be exposing their location.
“Most people don’t realize that smart devices are constantly talking to each other, communicating their identities and locations in an intense connectivity known as the Internet of Things,” Larry Pang, head of business development at IoTeX, a company that makes smart devices, said in an email interview. “This raises real privacy concerns. When devices are talking, you can be sure institutions are listening, and an unsuspecting public cannot comprehend the extent of this surveillance.”
Software with predominantly Muslim users, including dating apps, were among the products that released information that was then picked up by the military. The Special Operations Command, a branch of the military charged with counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and special reconnaissance, bought access to a service that collects location data for use in special forces operations abroad.
