There have been several recent media reports about US Government agencies purchasing geolocation data, saying the agencies concluded they don’t require a warrant for use because the data is available in the open market. This news led the Department of Homeland Security to start an investigation into cell phone surveillance by government agencies. Now Facebook and Google have banned X-Mode from collecting location data from user’s phones. X-Mode’s stated goal is to “change the way the world views location data” and empowering innovation while “respecting user privacy, and builds exceptional location technology with the user in mind”. As a cell phone user I have no choice on whether my data is sold or even to whom it is sold. The reality is that as in many other cases (credit rating companies, search engines, social media) the user is the product not the customer. Unfortunately X-Mode is only one of many companies that collects and sells our geolocation data and the Government is only one of the many buyers of the data. Blocking this one company does not guarantee us much more privacy, Google and Apple need to do more. A recent Harris report indicates that 55% of American adults are worried about government agency geolocation tracking and 77% believe the government should need a warrant to buy this type of data. This concern is understandable, we have laws in place requiring warrants for property searches and telephone records for similar reasons. Yet the geolocation data is available to anyone willing to pay for it, not just the government or even legitimate businesses simply wanting to sell us stuff but anyone that wishes to buy it for whatever reason. To me the fact that anyone can buy my location data is a bigger concern than government agencies which are regulated and under public scrutiny. We need strong policies in place to protect our data and privacy in this digital, data driven economy. The European Union’s GDPR and California’s Privacy Rights Act are a start, but we need strong policies that cover the US as a whole.