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Hacking. Disinformation. Surveillance. CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet.
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Google told Motherboard that if app developers don't remove the Predicio software development kit (SDK)—the bundle of code that Predicio uses to collect location data—their app will be removed from the Play Store. Motherboard previously found Predicio's SDK was called Telescope."We build the most accurate mobile data products available," since deleted documentation for the SDK Motherboard found online read. The Play Store prohibits app developers selling personal or sensitive data collected via their apps, including location data.A source provided Motherboard with a large dataset of precise geolocations of users of apps that had the Predicio SDK embedded within them. Some of that data showed a user of Salaat First walking through a park a few blocks south of an Islamic cultural center. Multiple other examples showed users nearby mosques.Do you work at Predicio, X-Mode, Venntel, or one of the apps mentioned in this piece? Did you used to, or know anything else about the location data industry? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, OTR chat on jfcox@jabber.ccc.de, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.
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