Does this mean that if I give you my cellphone number, you would be able to pay money to see my current or past location?
My understanding was that cell phone companies sell data in aggregate but not for individual numbers.
My understanding was that cell phone companies sell data in aggregate but not for individual numbers.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/43z3dn/hundreds-bounty-hunte...
From 2018. The wording says "as appropriate" to provide you with services. I'm not seeing anything here about collecting your location to resell. Does anyone have an explicit wording in a contract they can refer me to?
[1] https://www.verizonwireless.com/dam/support/pdf/collateral/C...
The carrier only has tower triangulation, which is less accurate but still valuable.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/j575dg/what-a-gps-data-is-an...
For example if you're renting a vehicle from Avis in the mainland US and need roadside assistance because your rental vehicle won't start, they can use your phone number (if you give consent) to find where they should send the tow truck.
Next time you rent a vehicle from Avis, call their roadside assistance number to see this in action for yourself.
This is a useful service, most people renting cars are doing so in places other than where they live, and may not be able to describe the location they're stranded at. But it does raise the question of who else is receiving your location information.
Does iOS grant apps access to your phone number or do these third party aggregators need another mechanism to link devices to phone numbers?
No - unless you grant access to Contacts.
Santa Claus has a bridge to sell you ;)
Even if there are no official channels, I'm sure there are informants willing to sell that data for the right price.