An international team of journalists has evaluated approximately ten billion granular location data points, exposing global security risks driven by mobile applications that leak information to commercial data brokers and advertising firms Gefährliche Apps – Im Netz der Datenhändler. While many smartphone users know that mobile applications collect detailed location information, most remain unaware that these supposedly anonymous records routinely land in a global, opaque network of data traders and reveal sensitive personal details including homes, workplaces, brothel visits, and stays in psychiatric clinics.
The investigation reveals how seemingly harmless applications transform into security risks for governments, intelligence agencies, and military personnel Gefährliche Apps – Im Netz der Datenhändler. Carried out by the Bayerischer Rundfunk, netzpolitik.org, Le Monde, and other partner media outlets, the research traces the movement of these data records across the globe to highlight the immense risks posed by this multi-billion-dollar industry, even within the European Union and its supposedly strict data protection regulations.
Global Surveillance and Military Vulnerabilities
The trail of data leads through multiple international locations, uncovering threats to individuals and state security alike. In Berlin, the investigation follows a threatened Egyptian exile journalist. In Brussels, high-ranking employees of the European Commission are affected by the data tracking. Meanwhile, politicians in Washington view the data leaks as a security risk for US agents operating in Europe, and soldiers on the Ukrainian front lines have recognized their own exact positions within the analyzed datasets.
The Data Brokering Chain
The tracking of these records exposes how easily unsuspecting users can become targets for stalkers, criminals, and intelligence services. Ultimately, the journalistic investigation leads directly to a broker in Florida who was found to be selling the location data of German and French smartphone users, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of the commercial data trade.