Scary Smartphone Location Tracking

ExpressVPN analyzed 450 apps and found location trackers in every one. See image below to understand roughly how and where your data is being sold.

Some key findings quoted from the report.

  1. We identified location tracker SDKs in 450 apps that have been downloaded at least 1.7 billion times. Though U.S. government scrutiny continues to grow, 67% (305) of these apps remain available at the end of January 2021.
  2. Location trackers appear in 42 messaging apps with at least 187 million downloads, including apps masquerading as popular services such as Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat.
  3. X-Mode, the subject of a ban by Apple and Google, is prevalent in many more apps than previously reported, appearing in 44% (199) of the apps we analyzed that have been downloaded at least 1 billion times. Despite the ban, only 10% of these apps have been removed from Google Play.
  4. Surveillance of Muslim audiences via apps is much larger than previously reported, with X-Mode and related location tracker SDKs identified in ten religious and cultural apps with at least 67 million downloads.
  5. Dating and social apps are a notable target of location tracker SDKs, making up 64 of the 450 apps we analyzed with at least 52 million downloads.
  6. Quadrant, a location tracker with over 60 million daily active users, is present in two apps that have been central in recent privacy scandals.
  7. References to OneAudience, which was sued by Facebook for privacy violations, are present in 37% (167) of the apps we analyzed.

Step-by-step guide on tracking and optimizing Google Adwords campaign

A good read for every Adwords newbies.

Reshared post from +Crazy Egg

https://blog.crazyegg.com/2016/07/19/adwords-for-the-first-time/

Advice for the Lone Marketer Who’s Never Touched Google Adwords Before
This experience got me thinking about all you business owners and marketers out there jumping into paid advertising. Unless you’re already some sort of PPC wizard — you’re about to experience a few new problems.

Speaking of smart guerrilla marketing, look at how Spotted, a mobile app startup,…

Speaking of smart guerrilla marketing, look at how Spotted, a mobile app startup, play it at +Web Summit – neat! :)

(This piece of notice is found in the male toilet at main hall – visit who-knows-mark.com to see the magic.)

#guerrillamarketing #marketing #websummit2014

Warrior Forum sold for $3.2 millions

This seems to me a potential happy marriage. 

Freelancer.com said Warrior Forum will be run as an independent site, post-acquisition, with its new parent contributing resources and a dedicated team to help fuel further development of the community site – not sure how it's going to affect the Market Place. 

Freelancer.com Pays $3.2M To Buy Digital Marketing Marketplace, Warrior Forum | TechCrunch
Job outsourcing marketplace Freelancer.com has put down a portion of the money it raised from its IPO last fall on buying Warrior Forum, a marketplace and..