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The Role Of Satellites And Smart Devices: Data Surprises And Security, Privacy, And Regulatory Challenges, Anne T. Mckenna, Amy C. Gaudion, Jenni L. Evans Jan 2019

The Role Of Satellites And Smart Devices: Data Surprises And Security, Privacy, And Regulatory Challenges, Anne T. Mckenna, Amy C. Gaudion, Jenni L. Evans

Faculty Scholarly Works

Strava, a popular social media platform and mobile app like Facebook but specifically designed for athletes, posts a “heatmap” with consensually-obtained details about users’ workouts and geolocation. Strava’s heatmap depicts aggregated data of user location and movement by synthesizing GPS satellite data points and movement data from users’ smart devices together with satellite imagery. In January of 2018, a 20-year-old student tweeted that Strava’s heatmap revealed U.S. forward operating bases. The tweet revealed a significant national security issue and flagged substantial privacy and civil liberty concerns.

Smart devices, software applications, and social media platforms aggregate consumer data from multiple data …