Whether share your location with your spouse or allow tracking permissions on your favorite social media app, location-tracking technology can be helpful in your everyday life. But, it can also put your privacy at risk. Make sure you understand what information is being collected and tracked before installing or enabling location tracking apps.
Privacy watchdogs have long been concerned about location trackers — and with good reason.
While it can be helpful on a road trip or anytime you’re navigating somewhere new, it also means that your GPS and Bluetooth-enabled devices know a lot about the places you go... and the people you’re with.
Some apps with location tracking may even collect — and profit from — your data without you necessarily understanding or providing clear consent.
Before you share personal information with a tracking app, find out how that data will be used and stored, both now and in the future.
What is location tracking?
The location of your devices can be tracked in a number of ways. Most smartphones use radio waves to transmit time-stamped location data to different GPS satellites and cell towers.
Devices also share location details with nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and Bluetooth beacons. Regardless of your phone’s make, model, or operating system, all of this happens behind the scenes.
From there, software and app developers can access your information. These details can help to improve your user experience or help a company’s product deliver more relevant content.
While the convenience of using location trackers can come with consequences like an uptick in targeted ads and an expanded digital footprint, geo-tracking can be harnessed for good, giving you quick access to your family members' locations.
Additionally, mobile location data helped with contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing public health officials to pinpoint who else may have been exposed with each new diagnosis.
Location tracking apps can also be beneficial in emergency situations like helping locate people in need after a hurricane, tornado, or wildfire.
Assessing location trackers
Before you decide whether or not to opt in for a location tracking app, consider:
How will your personal information be collected, used, and stored?
How transparent is the app’s privacy policy?
Does the app offer the option to turn off location tracking and delete your data?
If you're not comfortable with the risk of location tracking, you can exercise some control. Visit your device’s settings to opt out or disable geo-tracking permissions for location apps. While this won't guarantee that your information stays private (if you've allowed location tracking for even a few apps, they might have already shared your location with third party advertisers or apps), it's a start to limiting tracking on your device.
If you’re an Allstate Identity Protection member, you may also have powerful privacy-shielding measures at your fingertips with features like dark web monitoring, social media monitoring, and the Allstate Digital Footprint®. While these features won't eliminate the risks of location tracking, they can help you understand where your data lives online.
