How smartphone data can be used to learn secrets - The Washington Post washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Data Brokers are the Problem eff.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eff.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images This story is part of a group of stories called Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing and changing us.
One of the worst-case scenarios for the barely regulated and secretive location data industry has become reality: Supposedly anonymous gay dating app data was apparently sold off and linked to a Catholic priest, who then resigned from his job.
It shows how, despite app developers’ and data brokers’ frequent assurances that the data they collect is “anonymized” to protect people’s privacy, this data can and does fall into the wrong hands. It can then have dire consequences for users who may have had no idea their data was being collected and sold in the first place. It also shows the need for real regulations on the data broker industry that knows so much about so many but is beholden to so few laws.
Catholic priest resigns after being accused of using Grindr, visiting gay bars metroweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from metroweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.