600 Points

You have deactivated or deleted your advertising ID

You should definitely delete your "mobile advertising ID" (MAID), change it frequently (Android) or prohibit your apps from tracking (iOS) if you do not want the data from different apps to be merged and sold again by so-called data brokers.

More information

If you use iOS or Android, your operating system transmits an advertising ID to your apps in the background. This ID can be attached to the data records of individual apps. If the provider of your apps then sells this data, brokers can merge it with other data sets of yours. This creates veritable stockpiles of your personal data and interests that are traded online.

This data also includes location data, which can be accessed on special websites.

Particularly important for the following target groups:

Other categories

Sources and further links

Seven ways to protect your location from data brokers, netzpolitik.org, (de), 2025-01-14
The disturbingly easy mass surveillance with location data, netzpolitik.org, (de), 2024-10-23
Security risk: This is how easy it is to secretly track cell phone users, heise.de, (de), 2024-01-11
Advertising ID: How the license plate for smartphones works, mobilsicher.de, (de), 2022-01-23
GDPR complaint: Data protection officer considers Android tracking highly problematic, heise.de, (de), 2020-05-17

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