Oh I agree. My original comment was adding to the one preceeding mine, not a direct response to the article. Yes, the US needs GDPR, despite it making aspects of my job annoying I am glad it exists.

From the article: “Firms say this data is anonymized but the truth is that it can easily be de-anonymized. The data brokerage industry is pretty much totally unregulated, allowing for an assortment of unsavory customers to buy Americans’ data willy nilly.”

Isn’t this the real issue and not the headline? US really needs GDPR.

I can’t comment on that! Just that phone data is very valuable for transportation modelling!

Unfortunately, I am the boot in this case.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662948/utilising-mobile-network-data.pdf

74 page document about mobile phone data and transportation modeling.

Origin destination data from cell phones is useful for fairly obvious reasons.

Americans: we will cry foul online until we get an adequate transportation system.

Also Americans: we will cry foul online if you try to collect the data that you need to plan a transportation system.

Just one example of how phone data is useful.

On connect. Once I changed my settings it’s very comparable to the RIF setup I had.