We
all
know
that
our
phones
know
a
lot
about
us.
And
they
most
certainly
know
a
lot
about
where
we
go,
thanks
to
the
several
ways
they
can
track
our
location.
Location
tracking
on
your
phone
offers
plenty
of
benefits,
such
as
with
apps
that
can
recommend
a
good
restaurant
nearby,
serve
up
the
weather
report
for
your
exact
location,
or
connect
you
with
singles
for
dating
in
your
area.
Yet
the
apps
that
use
location
tracking
may
do
more
with
your
location
data
than
that.
They
may
collect
it,
and
in
turn
sell
it
to
advertisers
and
potentially
other
third
parties
that
have
an
interest
in
where
you
go
and
what
you
do.
Likewise,
cell
phone
providers
have
other
means
of
collecting
location
information
from
your
phone,
which
they
may
use
for
advertising
and
other
purposes
as
well.
If
that
sounds
like
more
than
you’re
willing
to
share,
know
that
you
can
do
several
things
that
can
limit
location
tracking
on
your
phone—and
thus
limit
the
information
that
can
potentially
end
up
in
other
people’s
hands.
How
do
Smartphones
Track
Your
Movements?
As
we
look
at
the
ways
you
can
limit
location
tracking
on
your
phone,
it
helps
to
know
the
basics
of
how
smartphones
can
track
your
movements.
For
starters,
outside
of
shutting
down
your
phone
completely,
your
phone
can
be
used
to
determine
your
location
to
varying
degrees
of
accuracy
depending
on
the
method
used:
-
GPS:
The
Global
Positioning
System,
or
GPS
as
many
of
us
know
it,
is
a
system
of
satellites
operated
by
the
U.S.
government
for
navigation
purposes.
First
designed
for
national
defense,
the
system
became
available
for
public
use
in
the
1980s.
It’s
highly
accurate,
to
anywhere
between
nine
to
30
feet
depending
on
conditions
and
technology
used,
making
it
one
of
the
strongest
tools
for
determining
a
phone’s
location.
This
is
what
powers
location
services
on
cell
phones,
and
thus
can
help
an
app
recommend
a
great
burger
joint
nearby.
-
Cell
towers:
Cell
phone
providers
can
track
a
phone’s
location
by
the
distance
it
is
to
various
cell
phone
towers
and
by
the
strength
of
its
signal.
The
location
information
this
method
provides
is
a
bit
coarser
than
GPS,
providing
results
that
can
place
a
phone
within
150
feet.
It’s
most
accurate
in
urban
areas
with
high
densities
of
cell
phone
towers,
although
it
does
not
always
work
well
indoors
as
some
buildings
can
weaken
or
block
cell
phone
signals.
One
of
the
most
significant
public
benefits
of
this
method
is
that
it
automatically
routes
emergency
services
calls
(like
911
in
the
U.S.)
to
the
proper
local
authorities
without
any
guesswork
from
the
caller. -
Public
Wi-Fi:
Larger
tech
companies
and
internet
providers
will
sometimes
provide
free
public
Wi-Fi
hotspots
that
people
can
tap
into
at
airports,
restaurants,
coffeehouses,
and
such.
It’s
a
nice
convenience
but
connecting
to
their
Wi-Fi
may
share
a
phone’s
MAC
address,
a
unique
identifier
for
connected
devices,
along
with
other
identifiers
on
the
smartphone.
Taken
together,
this
can
allow
the
Wi-Fi
hosting
company
to
gather
location
and
behavioral
data
while
you
use
your
phone
on
their
Wi-Fi
network. -
Bluetooth:
Like
with
public
Wi-Fi,
companies
can
use
strategically
placed
Bluetooth
devices
to
gather
location
information
as
well.
If
Bluetooth
is
enabled
on
a
phone,
it
will
periodically
seek
out
Bluetooth-enabled
devices
to
connect
to
while
the
phone
is
awake.
This
way,
a
Bluetooth
receiver
can
then
capture
that
phone’s
unique
MAC
address.
This
provides
highly
accurate
location
information
to
within
just
a
few
feet
because
of
Bluetooth’s
short
broadcast
range.
In
the
past,
we’ve
seen
retailers
use
this
method
to
track
customers
in
their
physical
stores
to
better
understand
their
shopping
habits.
However,
more
modern
phones
often
create
dummy
MAC
addresses
when
they
seek
out
Bluetooth
connections,
which
helps
thwart
this
practice.
Now
here’s
what
makes
these
tracking
methods
so
powerful:
in
addition
to
the
way
they
can
determine
your
phone’s
location,
they’re
also
quite
good
at
determining
your
identity
too.
With
it,
companies
know
who
you
are,
where
you
are,
and
potentially
some
idea
of
what
you’re
doing
there
based
on
your
phone’s
activity.
Throughout
our
blogs
we
refer
to
someone’s
identity
as
a
jigsaw
puzzle.
Some
pieces
are
larger
than
others,
like
your
Social
Security
number
or
tax
ID
number
being
among
the
biggest
because
they
are
so
unique.
Yet
if
someone
gathers
enough
of
those
smaller
pieces,
they
can
put
those
pieces
together
and
identify
you.
Things
like
your
phone’s
MAC
address,
ad
IDs,
IP
address,
device
profile,
and
other
identifiers
are
examples
of
those
smaller
pieces,
all
of
which
can
get
collected.
In
the
hands
of
the
collector,
they
can
potentially
create
a
picture
of
who
you
are
and
where
you’ve
been.
What
Happens
to
Your
Location
Information
That
Gets
Collected?
What
happens
to
your
data
largely
depends
on
what
you’ve
agreed
to.
In
terms
of
apps,
we’ve
all
seen
the
lengthy
user
agreements
that
we
click
on
during
the
app
installation
process.
Buried
within
them
are
terms
put
forth
by
the
app
developer
that
cover
what
data
the
app
collects,
how
it’s
used,
and
if
it
may
be
shared
with
or
sold
to
third
parties.
Also,
during
the
installation
process,
the
app
may
ask
for
permissions
to
access
certain
things
on
your
phone,
like
photos,
your
camera,
and
yes,
location
services
so
it
can
track
you.
When
you
click
“I
Agree,”
you
indeed
agree
to
all
those
terms
and
permissions.
Needless
to
say,
some
apps
only
use
and
collect
the
bare
minimum
of
information
as
part
of
the
agreement.
On
the
other
end
of
the
spectrum,
some
apps
will
take
all
they
can
get
and
then
sell
the
information
they
collect
to
third
parties,
such
as
data
brokers
that
build
exacting
profiles
of
individuals,
their
histories,
their
interests,
and
their
habits.
In
turn,
those
data
brokers
will
sell
that
information
to
anyone,
which
can
be
used
by
advertisers
along
with
identity
thieves,
scammers,
and
spammers.
And
as
reported
in
recent
years,
various
law
enforcement
agencies
will
purchase
that
information
as
well
for
surveillance
purposes.
Further,
some
apps
are
malicious
from
the
start.
Google
Play
does
its
part
to
keep
its
virtual
shelves
free
of
malware-laden
apps
with
a
thorough
submission
process
as reported
by
Google and
through
its
App
Defense
Alliance
that
shares
intelligence
across
a
network
of
partners,
of
which
we’re
a
proud
member.
Android
users
also
have
the
option
of
running Play
Protect to
check
apps
for
safety
before
they’re
downloaded. Apple
has
its
own
rigorous
submission
process
for
weeding
out
fraud
and
malicious
apps
in
its
store
as
well.
Yet,
bad
actors
find
ways
to
sneak
malware
into
app
stores.
Sometimes
they
upload
an
app
that’s
initially
clean
and
then
push
the
malware
to
users
as
part
of
an
update.
Other
times,
they’ll
embed
the
malicious
code
so
that
it
only
triggers
once
it’s
run
in
certain
countries.
They
will
also
encrypt malicious code
in
the
app
that
they
submit,
which
can
make
it
difficult
for
reviewers
to
sniff
out.
These
apps
will
often
steal
data,
and
are
designed
to
do
so,
including
location
information
in
some
cases.
As
far
as
cell
phone
service
providers
go,
they
have
legitimate
reasons
for
tracking
your
phone
in
the
ways
mentioned
above.
One
is
for
providing
connectivity
to
emergency
service
calls
(again,
like
911
in
the
U.S.),
yet
others
are
for
troubleshooting
and
to
ensure
that
only
legitimate
customers
are
accessing
their
network.
And,
depending
on
the
carrier,
they
may
use
it
for
advertising
purposes
in
programs
that
you
may
willingly
opt
into
or
that
you
must
intentionally
opt
out
of.
Ways
to
Limit
Tracking
on
Your
Smartphone
We
each
have
our
own
comfort
level
when
it
comes
to
our
privacy.
For
some,
personalized
ads
have
a
certain
appeal.
For
others,
not
so
much,
not
when
it
involves
sharing
information
about
themselves.
Yet
arguably,
some
issues
of
privacy
aren’t
up
for
discussion,
like
ending
up
with
a
malicious
data-stealing
app
on
your
phone.
In
all,
you
can
take
several
steps
to
limit
tracking
on
your
smartphone
to
various
degrees—and
boost
your
privacy
to
various
degrees
as
a
result:
-
Switch
your
phone
into
Airplane
Mode.
Disconnect.
Without
a
Wi-Fi
or
data
connection,
you
can’t
get
tracked.
While
this
makes
you
unreachable,
it
also
makes
you
untraceable,
which
you
may
want
to
consider
if
you’d
rather
keep
your
whereabouts
and
travels
to
yourself
for
periods
of
time.
However,
note
that
iPhones
have
a
feature
called
“Find
My
Network”
that
helps
track
lost
devices,
even
when
they
are
powered
off
or
disconnected. -
Turn
off
location
services
altogether.
As
noted
above,
your
smartphone
can
get
tracked
by
other
means,
yet
disabling
location
services
in
your
phone
settings
shuts
down
a
primary
avenue
of
location
data
collection.
Note
that
your
maps
apps
won’t
offer
directions
and
your
restaurant
app
won’t
point
you
toward
that
tasty
burger
when
location
services
are
off,
but
you
will
be
more
private
than
with
them
on. -
Provide
permissions
on
an
app-by-app
basis.
Another
option
is
to
go
into
your
phone
settings
and
enable
location
services
for
specific
apps
in
specific
cases.
For
example,
you
can
set
your
map
app
to
enable
location
services
only
while
in
use.
Other
apps,
you
can
disable
location
services
entirely.
Yet
another
option
is
to
have
the
app
ask
for
permissions
each
time.
Note
that
this
is
a
great
way
to
discover
if
apps
have
defaulted
to
using
location
services
without
your
knowledge
when
you
installed
them.
On
an
iPhone,
you
can
find
this
in
Settings
à
Privacy
&
Security
à
Location
Services.
On
an
Android,
go
to
Settings
à
Locations
à
App
Locations
Permissions. -
Delete
old
apps.
And
be
choosy
about
new
ones.
Fewer
apps
mean
fewer
avenues
of
potential
data
collection.
If
you
have
old,
unused
apps,
consider
deleting
them,
along
with
the
accounts
and
data
associated
with
them.
Also,
steer
clear
of
unofficial
app
stores.
By
sticking
with
Google
Play
and
Apple’s
App
Store,
you
have
a
far
better
chance
of
downloading
safe
apps
thanks
to
their
review
process.
Check
out
the
developer
of
the
app
while
you’re
at
it.
Have
they
published
several
other
apps
with
many
downloads
and
good
reviews?
A
legit
app
typically
has
quite
a
few
reviews,
whereas
malicious
apps
may
have
only
a
handful
of
(phony)
five-star
reviews. -
Turn
off
Bluetooth
while
not
in
use.
You
can
keep
passive
location-sniffing
techniques
from
logging
your
location
by
disabling
your
phone’s
Bluetooth
connectivity
when
you
aren’t
using
it. -
Use
a
VPN.
A
VPN
can
make
your
time
online
more
private
and
more
secure
by
obscuring
things
like
your
IP
address
and
by
preventing
snoops
from
monitoring
your
activity. -
On
iPhones,
look
into
using
Private
Relay.
Apple’s
Private
Relay
is
similar
to
a
VPN
in
that
it
changes
your
IP
address
so
websites
you
visit
can’t
tell
exactly
where
you
are.
It
works
on
iOS
and
Macs
as
part
of
an
iCloud+
subscription.
Yet
there
is
one
important
distinction:
it
only
protects
your
privacy
while
surfing
with
the
Safari
browser.
Note
that
as
of
this
writing,
Apple
Private
Relay
is
not
available
in
all
countries
and
regions.
If
you
travel
somewhere
that
Private
Relay
isn’t
available,
it
will
automatically
turn
off
and
will
notify
you
when
it’s
unavailable
and
once
more
when
it’s
active
again.
You
can
learn
more
about
it
here
and
how
you
can
enable
it
on
your
Apple
devices. -
Stash
your
phone
in
a
Faraday
bag.
You
can
purchase
one
of
these
smartphone
pouches
online
that,
depending
on
the
model,
can
block
Bluetooth,
cellular,
GPS,
RFID,
and
radio
signals—effectively
hiding
your
phone
and
that
prevent
others
from
tracking
it. -
Opt
out
of
cell
phone
carrier
ad
programs.
Different
cell
phone
carriers
have
different
user
agreements,
yet
some
may
allow
the
carrier
to
share
insights
about
you
with
third
parties
based
on
browsing
and
usage
history.
Opting
out
of
these
programs
may
not
stop
your
cell
phone
carrier
from
collecting
data
about
you,
but
it
may
prevent
it
from
sharing
insights
about
you
with
others.
To
see
if
you
participate
in
one
of
these
programs,
log
into
your
account
portal
or
app.
Look
for
settings
around
“relevant
advertising,”
“custom
experience,”
or
even
“advertising,”
and
then
determine
if
these
programs
are
of
worth
to
you.
More
privacy
on
mobile
There’s
no
way
around
it.
Using
a
smartphone
puts
you
on
the
map.
And
to
some
extent,
what
you’re
doing
there
as
well.
Outside
of
shutting
down
your
phone
or
popping
into
Airplane
Mode
(noting
what
we
said
about
iPhones
and
their
“Find
My
Network”
functionality
above),
you
have
no
way
of
preventing
location
tracking.
You
can
most
certainly
limit
it.
For
yet
more
ways
you
can
lock
down
your
privacy
and
your
security
on
your
phone,
online
protection
software
can
help.
Our
McAfee+
plans
protect
you
against
identity
theft,
online
scams,
and
other
mobile
threats—including
credit
card
and
bank
fraud,
emerging
viruses,
malicious
texts
and
QR
codes.
For
anyone
who
spends
a
good
portion
of
their
day
on
their
phone,
this
kind
of
protection
can
make
life
far
safer
given
all
the
things
they
do
and
keep
on
there.
About Author
