-text c-gray-1" >Earlier this week, a Motherboard report described just how it easy it was for anyone to get the location of another person's phone. By handing over $300 to a bounty hunter, the publication was able to buy the location of a specific phone, which was accurate to within a few hundred meters. And the process showed just how flawed the data chain is between mobile carriers and the companies they provide location data to. Now, carriers are cutting ties with location aggregators, and AT&T is the latest to announce its plans to do so.
"Last year we stopped most location aggregation services while maintaining some that protect our customers, such as roadside assistance and fraud prevention," AT&T said in a statement to CNET. "In light of recent reports about the misuse of tour bắc kinh thượng hải location services, we have decided to eliminate all location aggregation services -- even those with tour bắc kinh thượng hải tour bắc kinh thượng hải clear consumer benefits. We are immediately eliminating the remaining services and tour bắc kinh thượng hải will be done in March."
T-Mobile made a similar announcement yesterday, saying that it had already blocked location data requests from aggregator Zumigo (which was specifically mentioned in Motherboard's report) and that it was almost done severing ties with other third-party data aggregators.
In June, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile pledged to end the practice of selling location data through intermediary companies. The move came after reports revealed third parties were providing law enforcement officials access to cellphone location data without court orders. Following the reports, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to the four major carriers demanding more information about the practices.
The @fcc needs to investigate. Stat.website
- Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) January 8, 2019After Motherboard published its report, Wyden along with Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) spoke out about the revelations and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called for an investigation.
AT&T told CNET that its March cut off date was to ensure legitimate services would have time to transition.
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Via: CNET In this article: aggregator, att, gear, LocationData, mobile, privacy, security, sprint, t-mobile, verizon All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Comments 138 Shares Share Tweet Share Save Popular on Engadget
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"Last year we stopped most location aggregation services while maintaining some that protect our customers, such as roadside assistance and fraud prevention," AT&T said in a statement to CNET. "In light of recent reports about the misuse of tour bắc kinh thượng hải location services, we have decided to eliminate all location aggregation services -- even those with tour bắc kinh thượng hải tour bắc kinh thượng hải clear consumer benefits. We are immediately eliminating the remaining services and tour bắc kinh thượng hải will be done in March."
T-Mobile made a similar announcement yesterday, saying that it had already blocked location data requests from aggregator Zumigo (which was specifically mentioned in Motherboard's report) and that it was almost done severing ties with other third-party data aggregators.
In June, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile pledged to end the practice of selling location data through intermediary companies. The move came after reports revealed third parties were providing law enforcement officials access to cellphone location data without court orders. Following the reports, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to the four major carriers demanding more information about the practices.
The @fcc needs to investigate. Stat.website
- Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) January 8, 2019After Motherboard published its report, Wyden along with Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) spoke out about the revelations and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called for an investigation.
AT&T told CNET that its March cut off date was to ensure legitimate services would have time to transition.
Verizon owns Engadget's parent company, Verizon Media. Rest assured, Verizon has no control over our coverage. Engadget remains editorially independent.
Via: CNET In this article: aggregator, att, gear, LocationData, mobile, privacy, security, sprint, t-mobile, verizon All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Comments 138 Shares Share Tweet Share Save Popular on Engadget
What's on TV this week: 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'
View Google gives its Android office apps a fresher, more consistent look
View Roomba update tells your robovacs to steer clear of trouble spots
View Microsoft plans to bring internet access to 40 million people by 2022
View Android 10 phones may have to hide third-party navigation gestures
View From around the web