A media investigation revealed serious security risks associated with location data from mobile devices, particularly concerning U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Led by organizations like Wired and 404 Media, the analysis focused on data from Florida-based Datastream, which was sourced from Lithuanian ad-tech company Eskimi. This raised alarms for U.S. Senator Ron Wyden regarding potential misuse, as Datastream claimed the data was lawfully sourced for advertising but highlighted vulnerabilities in the location data industry, emphasizing the intersection of privacy concerns and national security.
"Eskimi's role highlights the opaque and interconnected nature of the location data industry: A Lithuanian company provided data on US military personnel in Germany to a data broker in Florida, which could then theoretically sell that data to essentially anyone."
"Datastream described the data as lawfully sourced and intended for use in digital advertising. It said the information was never intended for resale."
Collection
[
|
...
]