New leaked NSA documents shed a new light on the agencys assault on the data leaked by smartphone apps. By targeting the app configuration data, the NSA and GCHQ are able to pull date ranging from general characteristics like age and ethnicity to specific location based on GPS. The documents outline multiple tactics for unearthing this data, including a direct tap on app configuration data and information sent to ad networks. Using app data permissions as a jumping off point, the NSA is able to pull any data advertisers have access to, plotting data collected in this manner against the Marina database of web-based metadata.
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