Your location data. Your choice.
There has never been a way for consumers to universally opt out of their location data being used by brands or advertisers – until now. LocationChoices gives you a way to ensure your data is protected and used ethically based on the preferences you elect.
LocationChoices keeps the functionality of your apps that use location services intact while adding an extra layer of privacy to your sensitive personal data.
About
Location Data
The location of your mobile device can be detected from a variety of signals like GPS, Wifi networks, and beacons. This information can be used to provide local weather updates, customized ads, notifications about nearby events, and more.
Depending on the terms and conditions of the apps that obtain your location, the companies that develop them may have the right to use the data it generates for various purposes.
This may include giving, trading, or selling your location data to third-parties for use in their own systems.
The challenge is that many apps require certain permissions in order to function properly. Rather than revoking making those apps less useful or disabling location services on your phone on an app-by-app basis, you can use LocationChoices to ensure outside parties don’t get access to your whereabouts – regardless of the permissions of each individual app.
Download the App
Frequently Asked
Questions
Closed - DO NOT DELETE
Why is it that if I use a mobile app, my location data could be shared with third parties?
Businesses make money in a variety of ways. Some businesses like Target or Walmart sell products to their customers. Others like plumbers and accountants sell their services. Some like game apps and many news websites monetize the number of people using or viewing their content by serving ads. Others like Facebook and Google make money by combining the data they have about the people who use their platforms with advertising inventory placed within their apps.
Every app is different, and depending on their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, they may have the contractual right to share or sell your data – inclusive of location data – to other businesses interested in using that information to serve you more relevant and personalized ads or perform analysis of the physical world.
If I use LocationChoices, does this remove me from all location-targeted ads?
No. Only companies who are a part of the LocationChoices Coalition agree to blacklist device opt-outs. At this time, Gimbal is the only location technology company who agrees to honor the individual requests of consumers to ensure their location data is not used.
We are actively building the LocationChoices coalition and hope to add all major advertising technology companies as partners in 2020. If you are involved in the advertising or location tech ecosystem and would like to participate, please visit https://locationchoices.org/join/
Will opt-ing out impact the location-powered functionality of apps I already use?
No. Apps that use the location services from your device’s operating system will remain intact. However, if you’d like the maximum amount of privacy, you can change or disable this functionality on an app-by-app basis by navigating to:
- iPhone – Settings > Privacy > Location Services
- Android – Apps > Settings > Location
Using LocationChoices allows you to keep the functionality of your apps intact but will prevent your location data for targeting and analytics use cases. Opting out may result in a higher number of ads or less relevant content for you in the apps that monetize through ad inventory.
Are you working with any industry organizations to make this initiative more mainstream?
Gimbal contributes to the Mobile Marketing Association’s Location Privacy Alliance alongside many other well-respected technology companies in our sector. We will post updates to participating organizations here on this website.
Join the
Coalition
If you are a business interested in honoring the privacy requests of individuals, fill out the short form below to incorporate LocationChoices into your infrastructure.
About
LocationChoices was developed by Gimbal – a technology company that powers location-based app and advertising experiences for some of the best brands in the world. We believe privacy is a right and that consumers should have the ability to easily decide if they want their location data used by others.