Cell Phone Tracking Reveals Users' Habits

DinkyDogg writes "'New research that makes creative use of sensitive location-tracking data from 100,000 cellphones in Europe suggests that most people can be found in one of just a few locations at any time, and that they do not generally go far from home.' More interesting than their conclusion, however, is how they got their data. 'The researchers said they used the potentially controversial data only after any information that could identify individuals had been scrambled. Even so, they wrote, people's wanderings are so subject to routine that by using the patterns of movement that emerged from the research, "we can obtain the likelihood of finding a user in any location." The researchers were able to obtain the data from a European provider of cellphone service that was obligated to collect the information. By agreement with the company, the researchers did not disclose the country where the provider operates.' Any guesses which European country requires cell phone providers to record where their customers make calls, and then allows them to give that data away without disclosing that they have done so?"

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[bloodninja]

My typical day is: wake up, shower, go to work, be at work 8h (I don't go out for lunch), go back home, cook, eat, relax, sleep. That adds up to 2 places where I'll be, and anywhere on the highway to work. Add in grocery shopping in one of the two nearby supermarkets and you pretty much know where I'll be on any given day Monday to Friday.

This is why I walk my dog a different route each day. I don't even know what route we will take until we are back. It adds a little bit of surprise and a little bit of uncertainty into an otherwise very uniform and repetitive existence.

New Physics

[brunokummel]

...that most people can be found in one of just a few locations at any time,

Forget those losers, I wanna know about the people that can be in 2 or more locations at the time!

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[Anonymous Coward]

I vary my route to and from work just a little each day...to keep the terrorists guessing. It's the only way to be sure.

Re:New Physics

[Anonymous Coward]

Forget those losers, I wanna know about the people that can be in 2 or more locations at the time!

More troublesome may be that I'm nowhere to be found.

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ouija dog. Patent it. Now.

Re:Pretty sure it must be the Netherlands

[value_added]

So either the USA government is doing a much better job of keeping even the fact that phones are tapped at all hidden from public scrutiny, or it really is much, much worse here (in this regard, at least).

Much worse only begins to describe it. The Netherlands have more than 10x the number of terrorists we do.

Re:Isn't this article a bit delayed?

[I confirm I'm not a]

I happened to read this three days back....Granted, I should have submitted it then.

If you had submitted it back then we'd be reading it again now as a dupe. You were doing us a favour!

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[harry666t]

Interesting. On the contrary, I never know where I'm going to wake up after a party. Once I woke up in a hotel in another city.

Re:Germany.

[Anonymous Coward]

Third Reich?

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[mh1997]

This only proves that we're routine-animals.

And for the most part, you probably visit the same websites on any day.

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[nurb432]

Dogs like routines. Don't you know you are causing great mental anguish to your pet?

You are a cruel pet owner.

Re:Man, I wish I hadn't used up my mod points earl

[MiniMike]

And guess who got elected as a result of that?

Tweedle-dumb?

Re:Is that really so surprising?

[blindseer]

Interesting. On the contrary, I never know where I'm going to wake up after a party. Once I woke up in a hotel in another city.

Do you still have both of your kidneys?