Everyone knows your location, Part 2: try it yourself and share the results
13 hours ago
- The author created a guide and Python notebook to help anyone record mobile app traffic and discover surprising data-sharing activities.
- The initial setup takes 10–30 minutes, and analyzing each app takes about 10 minutes using the provided algorithm.
- The process involves installing mitmproxy, setting up a mobile device proxy, and collecting requests.
- Visualizations show that Unity dominates mobile game app traffic, followed by Applovin, Google Ads (doubleclick.net), and Facebook.
- The author provides a Google Sheet and form for crowdsourcing data on apps' data collection and sharing practices.
- The analysis reveals unexpected requests, such as an Apple location endpoint (gs-loc.apple.com) called during a game session.