Is Verizon Selling Location Data?

Despite cell phone providers’ claims that the days of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon selling location data are over, at least four class action lawsuits allege the carriers continue to sell consumers’ location data.

What Is Location Data?

Location data is what companies like Google and mobile phone providers collect to track where you are.  Location data is the information your cell phone sends to your cell phone provider, enabling smartphones using Assisted GPS (aGPS) to render your exact location. According to howstuffworks.com, you use this GPS system every time you map directions to an unfamiliar location, search for restaurants “near you,” or use certain apps, such as a weather app or even SnapChat, which allows you to share your location on a map with others.

Your cell phone also has a transmitter that sends a signal to the nearest cell phone tower.

Who Was (or Is) Verizon Selling Location Data to?

In May 2018, U.S. cell phone carriers were determined to be selling location data of their customers to third party companies. Even though some of the third parties buying the data could have had good intentions, such as providers of roadside emergency assistance, the cell phone companies did not appear to have any criteria for buyers.  The fear that someone with malicious intent could purchase the location data, or even that privacy assurances had been broken, came to light.

Who Was Buying Location Data?

The May 2018 investigation found that a company called LocationSmart was collecting and revealing real-time location data from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint to sell access through a different company known as 3Cinterative. The latter provided the information to Securus, a prison telecom company, which allegedly tracked cell phone users without permission.

Did Cell Phone Companies Stop Selling Location Data?

Cell phone companies said they stopped selling location after customers expressed alarm and Congress began investigating the brokering of such data.

However, in January of this year, Motherboard, the technical investigation arm of Vice, found that cell phone companies might be continuing to sell location data.

How Did Vice Determine Cell Phone Companies Are Still Selling Location Data?

Vice found that a bounty hunter could find the location of a cell phone number by using an underground service company that tracked the location in real time. A cell phone company may sell location data to a company it does legitimate business with, but the cell phone companies have no control over who might buy the location data from the original purchaser.

In Vice’s sting operation, a company called Zumigo had taken LocationSmart’s place in the data location chain, and had been still paying most cell phone carriers for access to the location information, information it could turn around and sell to whomever.

Who Would Care About My Location?

Car dealerships, property management companies, creditors, bail bondsmen, bounty hunters or even black market businesses might be interested in the data location of certain cell phone numbers.

If AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon selling location data made the companies money, as alleged in class action lawsuits against the companies, and the re-selling of the data makes money for other companies down the informational food chain, there’s no telling where your data could end up.

If you have a cell phone number through AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint and you made a call with that phone between April 26, 2015 and Feb. 9, 2019, you could be eligible to participate in a location data class action lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Cell Phone Location Data Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you had a phone number through AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint and made a call with that number between Apr. 26, 2015 and Feb. 9, 2019, you may be eligible to join this cell phone location data  class action lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.