An urgent warning has been issued to iPhone users over hidden settings that allow third-party apps and hackers to spy on their every move.
The National Security Agency (NSA) advised users to adjust privacy ‘Location Sharing’ and disable advertising permissions for each app downloaded.
Location sharing should be set to either not allow location data usage or only allow location data usage while using the app.
This setting can ‘reveal details about the number of users in a location, user and supply movements, daily routines (user and organizational), and can expose otherwise unknown associations between users and locations.’
The NAS also stated that users should set privacy ‘settings to limit ad tracking… Reset the advertising ID for the device on a regular basis.
‘At a minimum, this should be on a weekly basis.’
This can be done by adjusting privacy settings to limit ad tracking and by resetting the advertising ID for the device on a regular basis.
Hackers can also use an individual’s location to find others nearby, allowing them to see exactly what places they are visiting, how they are interacting with the area and the identity of smartphone owner.
Following the NSA Guidance, iPhone users can adjust their location settings by opening Settings, tapping Privacy & Security and selecting Location Services.
Located in the Location Services Menu is a list of all the apps downloaded on your iPhone.
Adjacent to the name of each app, the designation of your location settings for that app should be visible as either ‘Always, While Using, or Never.’
As per the warning of the NSA, any apps set to ‘Always,’ should be adjusted to ‘While Using,’ or ‘Never.’
These settings can then be adjusted for each app by tapping on the app name and selecting ‘While Using,’ or ‘Never.’
It is important to know that if an app is left open in the background and you have adjusted the settings to ‘While Using,’ your location will be tracked by that app until it is closed.
To reset the advertising ID on an iPhone, open Settings, tap Privacy & Security and scroll down to the bottom of the list.
There you will see ‘Apple Advertising,’ allowing you to adjust the feature.
The warning follows a major data breach in Gravy Analytics, the parent company of Venntel that has sold a trove of smartphone location data to the US government.
The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that Gravy Analytics was ‘unlawfully tracking and selling sensitive location data from users, including data about consumers’ visits to health-related locations and places of worship.’
A long list of popular third-party apps that collect smartphone users’ location was exposed in the breach, some including VPN apps intended to protect user privacy.
Also found on this list were Tinder and Grindr, dating apps used to connect people within proximity of one another.
Less obviously, games like Candy Crush and Temple Run also made appearances.
As personalized technology grows more common in the hands of young children, this type of exposure to location tracking could compromise the safety of entire families, especially for those who provide military service.
Following the Gravy Analytics breach, Baptiste Robert, a security expert posted samples of data to X, mirroring the warning of the NSA.
According to Robert, the samples, ‘include tens of millions of location data points worldwide. They cover sensitive locations like the White House, Kremlin, Vatican, military bases, and more.’
By mapping military locations in Russia, in comparison to the location data, Robert could ‘identify military personnel in seconds.’
‘This isn’t your typical data leak, it’s a national security threat.’ He added.
Levels of privacy concerns vary from individual to individual and can be adjusted accordingly.
Government officials, associates, and military personnel are advised to fully disable location service settings and turn off cellular networks when not in use.
Once the Advertising menu has been opened, you can then toggle personalized adds on/ off with the slider next contained in the box titled, ‘Personalized Ads.’
