Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads.

During the first few months of 2025, Gravy Analytics, an American company specializing in geolocation, was the victim of a massive data breach. The company plays an essential role in the marketing industry, as it verifies the presence of consumers at events, venues, and locations, thereby obtaining valuable information that can be used to personalize advertising content for each user.

Following the incident, the author of today's article decided to conduct an experiment: to track himself using his own data “leaked” from one application rather than another. The project took several hours, during which he found that data from Europe is the most expensive, and that the idea of buying this kind of information is mainly reserved for large companies with the financial liquidity to invest in it.

As an individual, therefore, he decided to use an old phone and download an app involved in the aforementioned leak. After a few minutes of use, the app had already started sending geolocation requests every fraction of a second.

For the full investigation, we invite you to continue reading!