Ashkan Soltani introduces MobileScope, an innovative approach to online privacy | TechRepublic
Ashkan Soltani introduces MobileScope, an innovative approach to online privacy.
According to the Wall Street Journal,
Marketers are tracking smartphone users through "apps" - games and other software on their phones. Some apps collect information including location, unique serial-number-like identifiers for the phone, and personal details such as age and sex. Apps routinely send the information to marketing companies that use it to compile dossiers on phone users.
More, including a data visualization animation, here.
Now one of the researchers involved has announced MobileScope.
MobileScope is implemented as a web service - not as an app on your phone - I'm liking this approach.
Why is this kind of service necessary at all?
First off, most users probably do not realize their information is being transmitted to third parties — who they’ve never heard of or had a relationship with. Since there’s little transparency on these platforms, it’s unlikely anyone would know.
Second, these third parties often receive extremely sensitive information, such as your precise location information (latitude/longitude) and your device identifier, which is persistent for the life of your device and can often be tied to your actual identity.
I'll be signing up - see link below - and we'll see what turns up.
(Via Bruce Schneier.)