Data brokers sell our location data and jeopardise national security

A joint investigation by netzpolitik.org and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) reveals how data brokers sell location data of millions of people in Germany, posing a threat to national security. The data set obtained contains 3.6 billion location data points from Germany, revealing GPS locations and movements of individuals. The data originates from mobile apps passing on GPS data for advertising purposes, with users often unknowingly consenting to this in privacy policies. The investigation highlights the global scale of the issue, with data brokers selling location data from various countries. Concerns are raised about the potential misuse of this data by foreign intelligence services for espionage or sabotage. Despite legal justifications based on user consent, data protection experts question the validity of such consent under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Politicians and experts call for stricter regulations to protect personal data and prevent the commercial trading of sensitive information. The investigation also sheds light on the lack of legal consequences for companies involved in data trading and the challenges in enforcing European data protection laws internationally.