That consent popup you clicked through on TikTok last week? It just unlocked precise GPS tracking that makes your old location data look like finger painting compared to a surveillance satellite. TikTok's updated U.S. privacy policy now permits collection of exact geolocation data -down to Wi-Fi hotspot precision-expanding far beyond the approximate IP address methods that previously kept your movements relatively fuzzy.
Police used geotracking, cellphone data and surveillance cameras to locate Nick Reiner hours after his parents were found fatally stabbed Sunday morning in Brentwood. The suspect, who struggled with substance abuse and had argued with his parents at a holiday party, was arrested in South Los Angeles that night. It didn't take long for police to focus on Nick Reiner after his parents were found fatally stabbed in the master bedroom of their Brentwood home Sunday afternoon. The challenge became finding him. Reiner lived in Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner's guesthouse but was not there when police arrived around 3:30 p.m. Prosecutors now allege he killed his parents sometime early Sunday.
The use of geolocation via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi allows apps to track our movements indoors, often without explicit GPS permissions, raising personal privacy concerns.