Location Tracking and Data Collection: Who’s tracking U.S. consumers, how much control do they have over their location privacy, and what laws currently protect their consumer rights? May 2019 © Copyright 2019, Consumer Action. All rights reserved. About Consumer Action Consumer Action is a non-profit organization that has championed the rights of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. Throughout its history, the organization has dedicated its resources to promoting financial and consumer literacy and advocating for consumer rights both in the media and before lawmakers to promote economic justice for all. With the resources and infrastructure to reach millions of consumers, Consumer Action is one of the most recognized, effective and trusted consumer organizations in the nation. Consumer education. To empower consumers to assert their rights in the marketplace, Consumer Action provides a range of educational resources. 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Additionally, its diverse staff provides the media with expert commentary on key consumer issues supported by solid data and victim testimony. www.consumer-action.org Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4 Countless ways to track your location ................................................................................... 4 Location access without consent .......................................................................................... 7 Consumers’ location access preferences ............................................................................. 8 Data control ........................................................................................................................... 9 Location tracking by category ...................................................................................... 9 Internet service providers (ISPs) ........................................................................................... 9 ISP use of location data ...................................................................................................... 10 Disclosures to customers .................................................................................................... 12 What companies reveal about tracking ............................................................................... 13 Social media .......................................................................................................................... 14 Google ................................................................................................................................ 15 Facebook ............................................................................................................................ 18 Snapchat ............................................................................................................................. 19 Weather apps ...................................................................................................................... 20 Pokémon GO ...................................................................................................................... 20 Vehicles ................................................................................................................................. 21 Auto manufacturers and dealers ......................................................................................... 22 Insurance ............................................................................................................................ 24 Rental cars .......................................................................................................................... 25 Ridesharing services ........................................................................................................... 26 Food delivery apps ............................................................................................................... 28 UberEats, Caviar, DoorDash and Seamless ....................................................................... 28 Comparable privacy policies ............................................................................................... 29 Sharing data with third parties ............................................................................................ 30 Wearable technology ............................................................................................................ 31 Detailed health data ............................................................................................................ 32 Fitness apps ........................................................................................................................ 33 Employee tracking ................................................................................................................ 35 When tracking becomes a problem .................................................................................... 36 Privacy protection ............................................................................................................... 37 Data Control: Consumers’ limited control over location data collection ............... 39 Internet service providers (ISPs) ......................................................................................... 39 Telecoms vs. ISPs .............................................................................................................. 40 Social media .......................................................................................................................... 41 Limit sharing ........................................................................................................................ 41 Facebook ............................................................................................................................ 41 Snapchat ............................................................................................................................. 42 Google ................................................................................................................................ 42 App-level permissions ......................................................................................................... 42 Turn location tracking off by device .................................................................................... 43 Vehicles ................................................................................................................................. 43 “Connected” cars ................................................................................................................ 43 GPS on subprime borrowers ............................................................................................... 43 Auto insurance .................................................................................................................... 44 Rental cars .......................................................................................................................... 44 Ridesharing ......................................................................................................................... 44 Food delivery apps ............................................................................................................... 45 Wearable technology ............................................................................................................ 45 Location Tracking and Data Collection 2 Check app privacy settings ................................................................................................. 45 Turn off phone geo-tracking ................................................................................................ 45 Review privacy policies ....................................................................................................... 46