Welcome to the wireless industry’s Cambridge Analytica

[Commentary] The U.S. wireless industry is now facing its own version of a Cambridge Analytica-style public relations disaster.  Specifically, a hack into the website of a company called LocationSmart reportedly allowed anyone to obtain real-time location information for any mobile device from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. As reported by security researcher Brian Krebs and ZDNet, an “elementary bug” on the try-it-before-you-buy-it page on LocationSmart’s website could be exploited so that anyone could essentially obtain real-time location information on everyone who is carrying their phone in their pocket. "I had a friend who was driving around Hawaii and [with permission] pinged the location and I could watch the marker move around the island. It's the kind of thing that sends chills down your spine," said researcher Robert Xiao from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.