Not just something annoying, the National Security Agency (NSA) is warning cell phone location tracking poses a security threat. While their guidance was aimed at Defense Department personnel, the NSA their warning applies to anyone with a mobile device...and not just your phone.
We’re talking including fitness trackers, smart watches, medical devicesandhousehold smart devices. Officials recommend people disable location services, use airplane mode and minimize use of the cloud. But they’re not alone – privacy advocates say information stored on your device could be used for greater surveillance of the public.
As for why this is such a big deal, it’s because the information – what’s also been called metadata – can reveal details about unknown links between people and locations. On a governmental level, that includes supply movements and daily routines as well. The agency is recommending to only give very few apps access location data and to limit browsing on the Internet.