The Digital Security Digest, by Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), is a weekly newsletter with security tips that keep you, your sources, and your devices safe. If someone shared this newsletter with you, please subscribe here.

Apps reveal your location to advertisers — and federal agents

404 Media reports that Customs and Border Protection purchased data that reveals people’s location when apps they use are served certain advertisements. According to a Department of Homeland Security document, which 404 Media obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, CBP officials obtained the location data through advertising IDs derived from a combination of software development kits used in “tens of thousands of apps” and “real time bidding” data that records location when an ad is served to a user. Earlier this year, 404 Media reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased location data that similarly leveraged ad networks.

What you can do

  • Disable mobile advertising IDs. You can claw back a lot of control over ad tracking by disabling advertising IDs in your phone’s Settings app. On iPhone, navigate to Settings app > Privacy & security > Tracking and disable Allow Apps to request to track. On Android, you can find this under Settings app > Security & privacy > Privacy controls > Ads.
  • Restrict your location permissions. Go into your phone’s Settings app and find your location settings, and disable location permissions for each app that doesn’t strictly need it. Sure, your map app or your ride sharing app need your location, but unless you’re playing Pokémon Go, chances are your gaming apps don’t need your location. You can always turn it on when needed later. Read our guide to mobile device security.
  • While you’re at it, shut down ad tracking on your computer, too. A separate but related issue is that the web browser on your computer also delivers ads that phone home to advertisers. You can block many types of online tracking by using both the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Privacy Badger browser extension and uBlock Origin, the open source ad blocker. You can always unblock ads on news sites you want to support, or better yet, cleanse your soul by becoming a subscriber to support quality journalism.

Updates from our team

  • Our guidance appears in the Society for Environmental Journalists’ new piece, “Environmental Journalists in a Perilous Era — A Survival Guide.” Check that out.
  • A reminder for J-school educators: Do you want to learn more about teaching digital security? We’re putting together a project intended to help journalism school instructors integrate digital security education into their curricula. Please help us understand your interest and availability. Fill out this quick intake survey.

Our team is always ready to assist journalists with digital security concerns. Reach out here, and stay safe and secure out there.

Best,
Martin

–

Martin Shelton
Deputy Director of Digital Security
Freedom of the Press Foundation