WHEN MORE DATA ISN’T BETTER
“Would you like to share your location?” The question is a pesky roadblock for people looking to buy groceries, get to work or date using their phones. But the answer is of great value for advertisers, helping them pinpoint potential customers and learn more about existing ones. Location data is one of the most controversial signals advertisers collect, as user privacy comes under increased scrutiny from tech companies and regulators. As brands try to locate users, sensitive information can leak into the web, to be found by domestic abusers, vigilantes and others we’d like not to know our whereabouts. Meanwhile, the laws regulating the sale of this data aren’t always clear, and tech giants like Amazon and Google collect it by default and will surrender it if subpoenaed. “[Location data] remains very valuable;…