If you don't mind having your cell phone tracked, don't read this.

[alwaysinasnit]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/19/story-cellphone-tracking-most-important-article-you-should-read-today-period

The New York Times' on Thursday sparked calls for congressional action by publishing the first article in its "One Nation, Tracked" series, an investigation into smartphone tracking based on a data set with over 50 billion location pings from the devices of more than 12 million people in the United States.

Snip...

The new report—the first of seven pieces set to be published this week by the Times Opinion Section's "Privacy Project"—features visualizations of the data from Central Park, Grand Central Terminal, and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City; Beverly Hills; downtown San Francisco; Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Florida; the White House; and the Pentagon.

"The data reviewed by Times Opinion didn't come from a telecom or giant tech company, nor did it come from a governmental surveillance operation. It originated from a location data company, one of dozens quietly collecting precise movements using software slipped onto mobile phone apps," explained Thompson and Warzel.

The reporters added that "you've probably never heard of most of the companies—and yet to anyone who has access to this data, your life is an open book. They can see the places you go every moment of the day, whom you meet with or spend the night with, where you pray, whether you visit a methadone clinic, a psychiatrist's office or a massage parlor."

But Thompson and Warzel weren't just "shaken" by what they found when delving into what data location companies can see—they also highlighted that this behavior is only governed by the companies' internal policies and the moral compasses of employees. As the article detailed: "Today, it's perfectly legal to collect and sell all this information. In the United States, as in most of the world, no federal law limits what has become a vast and lucrative trade in human tracking."

Snip...

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This is confirmation of what most of us have suspected.

[underthematrix]

1. Over a year ago, I tweeted smartphones are actually surveillance devices

that we pay for to have the state track us for use by corporations to keep us in a state of non-stop consuming and by law enforcement.

I own a smartphone for texting to my husband (grocery shopping) and my sister for the occasional pic and for messages from my healthcare provider. I never ever answer the phone. I block all calls and delete all messages except from my healthcare provider. I use STOP for all text messages from all campaigns except Joe Biden. I do not have any apps on my SP and I never ever use it to speak to my family. NEVER. I use a landline for that. My smartphone is on for less than an hour a day five days a week. It stays off on the weekends. I pay 32 dollars a month for two smartphones.

[alwaysinasnit]

2. Good tips. I cherish my dumb phone.

[RandiFan1290]

3. Our 'Telescreens' nt

[alwaysinasnit]

4. It took me a minute to understand your reference. You're quite right - 1984.

[FakeNoose]

5. My "location" is off

I don't use any of those apps that require location to be on. As far as I can tell my phone doesn't have anyway it can track me or save the data on my movements. Not that I'm paranoid or anything.

Just sayin'

[alwaysinasnit]

6. For me, the issue is more about privacy violations and the inevitable mis-use of such

technologies.

[FakeNoose]

7. Agreed

[Blue_true]

8. My locator is always off too. I notice that my "location" is a major city about 80 miles

from where I live. I have noticed that any query from my via my smartphone causes ads to pop up offering the things that I queried, so clearly everything that I do on the phone is tracked. Does that bother me? No, I am not a conspiracy minded person, companies don't want to pry into my life, they want to sell me stuff.

I love my smartphone, it is a massive movable computer that I can use for any task from communicating with family and business associates, to doing complex research on arcane technology issues. I can do stuff in a few minutes that used to take days or months. The price that I pay is that ad trackers are tracking my activities looking for chance to sell me something, and the NSA likely looks in or have looked in on my communications, though there I believe it has not because nothing about what I do raises red flags. So I am ok with the price that I pay, given the wonderful benefits that I gain.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

9. My wife has been on me for some time to upgrade my phone.

She has a smart phone and disparages my phone whenever the topic comes up. It's an older model with a slide-out keyboard, and has no apps and such. But, with it I can call or text damn near anywhere on the planet. It's all I need. Seeing stories like this makes me think I should keep it for as long as I can.

[alwaysinasnit]

10. I had a similar type phone that gave out on me. I was pleasantly surprised to find out

that I can still get a flip phone (I got two, just in case).