Why Consumers Grapple With a 'Wild West Era' For Mobile Tracking

Published: Dec. 3, 2019, 10:34 p.m.

The "identifiers" behind data collection - the ways that companies identify consumers who they're collecting the data from - has extended far beyond cookies prevalent in web browsers, privacy experts warn.  

Now, consumers and regulators struggling to understand who is collecting data, how that data is being shared and how it's being stored, must also think about 'identifiers" that are used in mobile tracking and even physical tracking - including facial biometrics or credit cards. And unfortunately, according to a new report released this week, these new types of tracking identifiers are still in a stage where its difficult to reign them in via regulation.  

We talk to EFF about how data is being tracked and used, how consumers can protect themselves - and why it's not all bad news in our Threatpost Podcast interview.