Concerns in Europe Over Sale of Data on EU and NATO Officials 0 10

Hackers in Europe are selling anonymous data about the locations and movements of officials from the European Union (EU) and NATO, as well as representatives of the Belgian armed forces. The information leak has raised concerns in a publication by Politico.

According to the publication, a journalistic investigation conducted by a group of European media outlets uncovered such information among the anonymous data for sale in Belgium. In particular, hackers are offering geolocation data of millions of smartphone owners, which has been collected through various tracking systems in mobile applications. Among these, journalists found offers to sell data on high-ranking officials.

During the investigation, media representatives posing as employees of a marketing company were able to purchase data on "hundreds of millions of geographical and temporal coordinates of mobile phones in Belgium." This information is marketed as anonymous; however, cross-analysis allows for the identification of names, addresses, and even habits of smartphone owners. Among other things, the investigation confirmed that many mobile applications collect user information that is not mentioned in their privacy policies.

In response to a request from the publication, the press service of the European Commission (EC) described this information as "concerning." The EC has provided its officials with new recommendations on configuring geolocation data on electronic devices.