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Anonymous Location Data Pinpoints People

You already know that your smartphone apps gather your location data and sell it. We’ve also all been told it’s anonymous—but as the New York Times reports, it’s so personal that while there’s no name attached, there is a life under a microscope for all to see. The Times reviewed data from over a million phones in the New York area. Their takeaways, conveyed beautifully through interactive maps and graphics, should reinforce alarm. It’s easy to pinpoint one individual from the regular stops taken along their day—and deviations make for valuable insight into health and consumer habits. It’s also easy to turn this tracking off. Get informed at the Times.

COOL HUNTING always gets permission to use the images we publish; however, as an independent publication, we cannot afford to continue fighting unfair claims of copyright infringement, so the images have been removed from this post.

Via nytimes.com link opens in a new window

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