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Found a weird trick to see what data my old phone app still has
About three years ago I used a step tracker called PacePal. Last week I emailed their support asking for a copy of all my data, and they sent a file with over 15,000 GPS points from my old neighborhood walks. It was creepy seeing a map of my exact routes from 2021. Has anyone else tried asking an old service for their data dump?
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brianm665mo ago
That's just how these apps work though, they need the data to function. You gave them permission when you signed up, right?
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aaronsullivan5mo ago
Brianm66 has a point about how apps work, but the permission screens are designed to be clicked through without reading. It's frustrating when you realize later how much they actually take, like tracking your location even when the app is closed. Feels like you're agreeing to things without really knowing what they are.
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jamie8044mo ago
Question whether it's really that serious though. Most apps are just collecting basic usage stats to fix bugs and improve features, not plotting some grand data heist. Sure, some companies are shady, but worrying about three year old GPS points from a workout app feels a bit paranoid to me.
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annajenkins5mo ago
Aaron's right about permission screens being a blur. But what gets me is how they keep the data long after you stop using the app. PacePal had three year old GPS points. That's not for the app to work anymore, that's just hoarding. Makes you wonder what they're doing with it, or who they might sell it to later.
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