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Insurance company accused of using secret software to illegally collect and sell location data on millions of Americans (www.malwarebytes.com)

submitted 21 hours ago by kid@sh.itjust.works to c/cybersecurity@sh.itjust.works

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[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 5 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

I like the name and shame, maybe someday a company will care about the shame. But really, calling a phone app "secret software" is a lot stranger than an app sending info back to base.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 7 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It’s my understanding that the “secret software” is not the app itself, but code embedded into the app, that track your location and send it back to Arity. And it’s not one particular app, but many apps that were paid to add the code.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 6 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Well yeah. The apps main advetised purpose isn't going to be "we track you and sell the data". Every giant corporations app has tracking software embedded in it.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

We shouldn't just roll over and take it though. I can't tell if you're saying "we should know better, of course they're all doing this shit" - which I agree with - or closer to "it's their app(s), they can do what they want, and we shouldn't expect them to be transparent", which I very much disagree with.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 2 points 7 hours ago

Im definitely in the first camp.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re not understanding: it’s not only the insurance company’s app doing the tracking; it’s potentially any app that asks for location data.

Sometimes apps ask permission to use your location data and you find yourself wondering, why does this app need to know where my phone is?

This is one possible reason.

Whenever you are asked to share your location data with an app and there’s no clear reason why you might need to, deny the app that permission.

I’ll concede that maybe it’s me that is not understanding. 😊

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 2 points 18 hours ago

Yes, that's why it's not "secret software". They all do it.