5 Ways Companies Use Your Cellphone Location Data

The smartphones at the center of consumers’ lives generate vast streams of data on where they live, work and travel, and how wireless carriers use that personal data and share it with other companies has come under increased scrutiny. The four major U.S. carriers said in June that they would stop selling access to the locations of individual customers to two companies—LocationSmart and Zumigo—following accusations that a LocationSmart customer misused the information. But those two middlemen aren’t the only companies that have had or continue to rely on access to the locations of cellphone users to make money. Here’s a look at five scenarios in which companies or carriers have relied on or considered using cellphone location data: 1) Roadside Assistance, 2) Traveling Abroad, 3) Fraud Protection, 4) City Planning, and 5) Shopping.