Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret | NYT

Also see A 'Trust Crisis:' IBM CEO Ginni Rometty Joins Apple's Tim Cook in Slamming Tech's Abuse of User Data | Fortune...

"At least 75 companies receive anonymous, precise location data from apps whose users enable location services to get local news and weather or other information, The Times found. Several of those businesses claim to track up to 200 million mobile devices in the United States — about half those in use last year. The database reviewed by The Times — a sample of information gathered in 2017 and held by one company — reveals people’s travels in startling detail, accurate to within a few yards and in some cases updated more than 14,000 times a day.
These companies sell, use or analyze the data to cater to advertisers, retail outlets and even hedge funds seeking insights into consumer behavior. It’s a hot market, with sales of location-targeted advertising reaching an estimated $21 billion this year. IBM has gotten into the industry, with its purchase of the Weather Channel’s apps. The social network Foursquare remade itself as a location marketing company. Prominent investors in location start-ups include Goldman Sachs and Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder."

Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret | NYT