Privacy: Cell phone tracking data used to discover your political preferences, which could be used against you

Privacy: Cell phone tracking data used to discover your political preferences, which could be used against you

With cell phone tracking enabling records of your political activities (at a protest, a meeting, or a political group), activists fight back:

The data doesn’t even need to leak or transfer hands — its mere existence can have a chilling effect on democratic participation. Word has already spread through the more professional protester circles to leave cellphones at home, toggle them to airplane mode or simply power them off. Many antifascist protesters show up to rallies covering their faces to protect their identities from hate groups, the police and the press.

Because if they do not fight back:

Political candidates rich in location data could combine it with financial information and other personally identifiable details to build deep psychographic profiles designed to manipulate and push voters in unseen directions. Would-be autocrats or despots could leverage this information to misinform or divide voters and keep political enemies from showing up to the polls on election day.

Then, once in power, they could leverage their troves of data to intimidate activists and squash protests. Those brave enough to rebel might be tracked and followed to their homes. At the very least, their names could be put into registries.

Source: Opinion | How Your Phone Betrays Democracy – The New York Times

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