The United States National Security Agency (NSA) issued an advisory this week on the dangers of location data exposure, providing various ways users can mitigate the risk. While the guidance in the document is intended for Department of Defense (DoD) employees, the NSA acknowledged the information will be useful to a wide range of users. “Location data can be extremely valuable and must be protected,” the advisory warns, listing GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth all as services that can leak location data. Mobile devices can expose location data whether they’re on or off, cautions the NSA. Also, location information can be gleaned from many apps, IoT devices, and social media platforms.
