Data Broker's Surveillance of US Military Personnel Linked to Lithuanian Firm

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A Florida-based data broker, Datastream Group, has been found selling sensitive location data of US military personnel stationed in Germany, sourced from the Lithuanian ad-tech company Eskimi. This revelation follows a media investigation that initially uncovered Datastream's sale of location data but did not identify its origin. A letter obtained by Senator Ron Wyden's office confirmed Eskimi as the source, prompting concerns regarding the potential risks to national security from such data trafficking.

Experts, including Zach Edwards, a senior threat analyst at Silent Push, have expressed alarm over the opaque nature of the ad-tech ecosystem, which allows sensitive data to be sold across borders. The data set allegedly included 3.6 billion location coordinates for up to 11 million mobile advertising IDs in Germany over a month. Though Datastream insists it obtained the data legitimately, Eskimi's CEO denied any commercial relationship with the firm.

As the Department of Defense remains cryptic about the implications of this investigation, the Lithuanian Data Protection Authority stated it is assessing the situation but is currently not investigating Eskimi.

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