Why should I care about location tracking?

Massive amounts of smartphone location data are quietly harvested through everyday apps and sold by data brokers, creating powerful tools that can track people’s movements with little oversight.

This poses serious risks for anyone traveling to sensitive places like medical clinics, religious sites, or across borders, especially as shifting political climates embolden authorities to misuse such data.

With regulation still weak and fragmented, the unregulated trade in location data has become a profound threat to privacy and civil liberties.

So, what can you do to protect your privacy?

So, what can you do to protect your privacy?

Our favorite source for digital security is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit organization that's been defending digital rights and privacy since 1990.

During this time, they successfully challenged government surveillance programs, fought against censorship, defended encryption, and pushed back against corporate overreach.

We have collected a few tips below from this EFF article to help you protect your location privacy. For a more exhaustive list, check out our Comprehensive Security Checklist.

During this time, they successfully challenged government surveillance programs, fought against censorship, defended encryption, and pushed back against corporate overreach.

We have collected a few tips below from this EFF article to help you protect your location privacy. For a more exhaustive list, check out our Comprehensive Security Checklist.

Disable Mobile Advertising Identifiers (MAIDs):

On Android: Delete or reset your ad ID via Settings → Security & Privacy → Privacy → Ads.
On iOS: Deny tracking permission, disable “Allow Apps to Request to Track,” and turn off personalized Apple ads.

Audit App Permissions & Trackers:

Fewer apps = less exposure.
Review and restrict app permissions (location, contacts, photos, etc.).
Use tools like Exodus Privacy (Android) or iOS App Privacy Reports to see which trackers apps communicate with.

Use Airplane Mode at Sensitive Locations:

Prevents real-time data sharing.
Use offline maps (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Organic Maps) to navigate without connectivity.

Use a Separate Device for Sensitive Travel:

A clean phone with minimal apps and identifiers reduces tracking.
Reset to factory settings after use for maximum privacy.