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It's way too easy for bounty hunters to get your phone location data
Wireless carriers are supposed to keep a tight leash on your location information, but that's not the case in practice. Motherboard has learned that network location data is reaching bounty hunters and others who aren't supposed to have it. Effectively, it's the result of a flawed data chain. Carriers like AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile (more on Engadget's parent Verizon in a bit) are relatively strict, passing their info to data aggregators like Zumigo and requiring consent before those aggregators' clients are allowed to use that data. However, things quickly get out of hand. Third parties like Microbilt have sold that data to everyone from bail bond companies to landlords, and those companies promptly use or resell it without telling the affected people.
Major US carriers will stop selling customer location data to aggregators (updated)
Last month, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, asking who they share their customers' location data with and whether those companies obtain customer consent. The move came after reports revealed that a service provided by Securus Technologies -- a company previously reported to have allowed prisons to record calls between inmates and their lawyers -- let a former Mississippi County sheriff track the cellphones of other officers and a judge without court orders. All four carriers have now replied to Wyden and Verizon has pledged to end its practice of selling location data through intermediary companies.
