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How did your phone become a global intelligence tool?
Data collected from mobile apps and ad networks provides a detailed picture of the online activity of billions of devices. This information is valuable to government agencies around the world. According to a recent report by US intelligence agencies, data collected by consumer technologies reveals sensitive information about each of us.
The Wall Street Journal found a network of brokers and advertising platforms whose information was sent to the US Department of Defense and intelligence agencies through the company Near Intelligence. This information, acquired or obtained by many organizations, may end up in the hands of individuals with ties to government agencies.
When you open an advertising app on your phone, information about the user is captured in a data stream that passes through many hands. For example, the Life 360 app, designed for family safety, collects extensive data about the movement of devices. Some of this data, through intermediaries, including Near Intelligence, eventually got to government contractors.
Information from mobile phones is collected by data brokers, who then repackage it for sale to their customers. Some apps directly sell geolocation and other technical data about the device to data brokers.
Near Intelligence, which is headquartered in India and has offices in the United States and France, until recently received data from other brokers and advertising networks. She had several contracts with government contractors who passed on this data to the US intelligence services.
Privacy and legal experts inside Near warned the company's management about the risks associated with data retention and resale. In one of the emails, Near's general counsel, Jay Angelo, pointed out privacy violations.
In response to the allegations, Near said it has taken steps to ensure confidentiality, including ending relationships with customers whose actions are contrary to the company's values.
Many Near employees were sure that the agreements with government contractors were concluded for "humanitarian purposes". However, the advertising exchanges with which the company worked said that they had no idea about the transfer of their data to government agencies.
In general, the US does not have a comprehensive national privacy law, which makes it possible to collect and resell such data. However, the use of this information by US agencies for national security purposes was until recently a carefully hidden secret.
Data collected from mobile apps and ad networks provides a detailed picture of the online activity of billions of devices. This information is valuable to government agencies around the world. According to a recent report by US intelligence agencies, data collected by consumer technologies reveals sensitive information about each of us.
The Wall Street Journal found a network of brokers and advertising platforms whose information was sent to the US Department of Defense and intelligence agencies through the company Near Intelligence. This information, acquired or obtained by many organizations, may end up in the hands of individuals with ties to government agencies.
When you open an advertising app on your phone, information about the user is captured in a data stream that passes through many hands. For example, the Life 360 app, designed for family safety, collects extensive data about the movement of devices. Some of this data, through intermediaries, including Near Intelligence, eventually got to government contractors.
Information from mobile phones is collected by data brokers, who then repackage it for sale to their customers. Some apps directly sell geolocation and other technical data about the device to data brokers.
Near Intelligence, which is headquartered in India and has offices in the United States and France, until recently received data from other brokers and advertising networks. She had several contracts with government contractors who passed on this data to the US intelligence services.
Privacy and legal experts inside Near warned the company's management about the risks associated with data retention and resale. In one of the emails, Near's general counsel, Jay Angelo, pointed out privacy violations.
In response to the allegations, Near said it has taken steps to ensure confidentiality, including ending relationships with customers whose actions are contrary to the company's values.
Many Near employees were sure that the agreements with government contractors were concluded for "humanitarian purposes". However, the advertising exchanges with which the company worked said that they had no idea about the transfer of their data to government agencies.
In general, the US does not have a comprehensive national privacy law, which makes it possible to collect and resell such data. However, the use of this information by US agencies for national security purposes was until recently a carefully hidden secret.
