Privacy @lemmy.ml relic4322 @lemmy.ml 3w ago

Life360 Secretly Sells Users’ Geolocation Data to Third Parties, Class Action Claims

This is a bit dated, but the case it not yet resolved. If you search it its still pending and in mediation. Life360 is looking to limit who it sells the info to in order to resolve the case. There is no debate that they were selling the info.

https://www.classaction.org/news/life360-secretly-sells-users-geolocation-data-to-third-parties-class-action-claims

Privacy @lemmy.dbzer0.com cm0002 @lemmy.world 3w ago

Life360 Secretly Sells Users’ Geolocation Data to Third Parties, Class Action Claims

33 comments

Sorry if I've just become that jaded, but did anybody expect that these apps don't sell data?
- I agree as well it's probably best to assume services that have access to your data in there database do indeed sell your data.
- You are right, I mean, everything thats free isnt free. I am just radicalized now by how awful everything is and how invasive everything is and so I see it and I share it.
  
  Figured since this is an app that ppl use for children and what not that this community would want to know.
What's "secret" about this?
- Yah, just checked their Privacy policy and it says:
  
  We may disclose personal information, including contact information and location and movement data (including precise geolocation data), mobile device information (such as information generated by the gyroscope and accelerometer in your device), application analytics (including IP address and device identifiers), technical and analytical data, and driving event data with business partners that provide certain features and services you elect to use through or in connection with our Products or Services. Some examples of these integrated services offered by our business partners include:
  Crash Detection and Emergency Dispatch Services;
  Roadside assistance;
  Identity theft protection; and
  Driving analytics services.
  
  https://life360-legal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/16038777217175-Life360-Privacy-Policy
  
  I think an important distinction here is that in that statement its saying when you are using services from within the platform. the class action lawsuit is saying they were selling the data prior to this, without notification, without consent, and beyond this scope. Hence why they are in court.
I’ve been shopping for some sort of cross platform (namely iOS / Android) service like this or Apple’s Find My Friends that I’d could have some assurance that this kind of content would be kept safe and private. The search continues …
- Are you literally just wanting to see the location of family members?
  
  If you're a self-hoster there are options, and that's pretty much the only way you can know it's private.
  
  Two that come to mind are:
  
  The PhoneTrack NextCloud app. If you run Nextcloud you can install this in nextcloud, then install a location logger on the phones. I'm more familiar with Android which has options but from a search I think OwnTracks can send to Nextcloud and supports iOS and Android (someone reported their iOS success here).
  
  Home Assistant let's you see locations of people on a map that is tracked with the Home Assistant mobile app on Android/iOS.
  
  I have found uLogger or the old PhoneTrack app (that connect to GPS on a schedule) to be more accurate than apps that rely on Google telling them when the location has changed (Home Assistant and I think Owntracks). But also much more of a battery drain.
  
  So it depends how often you want the location to be updated. I find running uLogger or PhoneTrack on the phone actually makes Home Assistant get location updates much quicker(I run both for different reasons).
  
  Yep, that’s my goal. I’m going to check all of these projects out. Thanks for the recommendations.
  
  looking at uLogger now, that looks pretty interesting. Having used it, any reason why I shouldnt give this a go?
I wonder if there is an open source alternative to keep track of family and friends.
- A phone call or sms asking "hey where are you?" isn't enough?
  
  It’s just more convenient and less stressful to know that your loved ones are in safe areas and also in case something happens and they cannot get in contact you can tell where they are or at least where they’ve been.
- I've looked into OwnTracks before, it even lets you set up and use your own server. But the setup/connection is fairly complicated, especially if you're trying to get family members onto it.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Traccar. It's open source and simple to setup with docker. The skills required for this are much more than just installing an invasive app though...
- Will check it out, thanks!
  
  Np. I've been trying to set it up for 2 weeks now. The hard part is getting pangolin to connect to my local server. I suspect ai's attempt to help has just screwed me over...
- Sounds cool, gotta check this.
Unfortunate, I had to use this app when my highschool offered a Europe trip during the summer. The shit barely worked anyway because most of us had shoddy service or didn't have a plan where we could have our data on 24/7, so it wouldn't be able to update our location often. It'd make it look like a kid was 3 miles away from the hotels we stayed at, and one time two girls almost got in trouble during curfew cause the app wasn't updated.

I really wish there were OSS apps out there that let people track their friends/loved ones, because I totally get it, sometimes you can't call/text at that moment. Hell, if they get kidnapped you might have a chance of finding them if they still have their phone on them.
- exactly. I have kids. I got it to keep them safe. had it up till today, so for years and years. pisses me off to no end. I will find a FOSS self hosted solution. There has to be one. It may not be friendly, but it has to exist, lol.
  
  No kids. Just alcoholics for relatives. Yes. Being able to track their location during a bender would be great, simply for some damage control.
  
  That was before we changed states to live the fuck alone, just man and wife ~and three pitbulls, four cats, a bunny, and now three pekin ducks~
FWIW, traccar seems to be a great alternative. Set it up today. Docker and app on the phone with tailscale. Works well. Can share docker compose file if there is interest.
As a life360 user, I really don't know how any reasonable person in the last 10 years could sign up and not know they're selling location data. It's a free service primarily designed to track your location. I didn't read the terms, I just assumed it to be true.

33 comments