Techin' Geek

The innovative deep learning methods utilized in LLMs have also enabled weather simulations to be conducted on laptops instead of supercomputers, transforming the field of meteorology. However, the greater challenge for AI might be simplifying the process for individuals and organizations to utilize those forecasts effectively.

WindBorne Systems, a startup that gathers data using the world’s longest-flying weather balloons and integrates it into a robust forecasting model, has secured a $37 million Series B funding round to tackle that challenge, CEO John Dean informed TechCrunch.

This new round was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Galvanize, with contributions from TransLink Capital, Lux Capital, and prior investors, valuing the company at $250 million following this funding round.

Established in 2019, WindBorne began with a strategy to gather a unique set of weather data using its affordable weather sensors and long-endurance balloons. The advancements in AI weather forecasting models over the past four years have enabled them to produce their own forecasts, which was previously unattainable for most private firms due to the prohibitive costs of supercomputers that were needed to model the atmosphere.

Currently, the company operates 20 launch sites globally and has around 600 balloons airborne at any time, collecting data in inaccessible regions, such as the center of a typhoon. The company is now starting to deploy aerial sensor packages that can descend into the ocean and persist in collecting data as floating buoys.

The unique data set produced by this “planetary nervous system,” as Dean refers to it, establishes a competitive edge for their weather model, which also incorporates data sets generated by governmental weather agencies worldwide.

“We showed that when you include balloons in the forecast, you achieve more precise predictions, and the value of each data point is significantly higher than that from satellites,” Dean stated. “We’ve also been increasing our revenue while doing this, which mitigates the risk for VCs regarding the demand signal.”

Currently, the company’s primary clients are government entities. The U.S. National Weather Service acquires the company’s data, while the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy engage with WindBorne through research collaborations, including initiatives to develop forecasting models operable onboard vessels that may experience sporadic connections to the broader world.

The next step involves entering the commercial sector — primarily targeting investment funds that leverage weather data to forecast commodity prices and other business results. In addition to expenditures on computing and efforts to transition from the balloon network’s satellite communications to a mesh radio system, this funding round will enable WindBorne to grow its go-to-market team to widen its customer reach in the private sector.

However, that is not always straightforward. Over the last ten years, various startups have attempted to scale sensing operations like earth observation satellite networks but struggled to penetrate the private sector, as extracting value from that data necessitates expertise and established procedures. Many revert to government agencies accustomed to utilizing that data already.

Private weather forecasting companies exist but primarily generate revenue by repackaging or refining government forecasts for media use, specialized applications such as aircraft de-icing and maritime navigation, or the aforementioned speculators. However, this may shift as AI tools enhance data analysis efficiency.

Saloni Multani, a partner at Galvanize who co-led the funding round, noted that the private weather market has remained constrained because “integrating weather forecasts into larger business decision-making has historically been costly and complex. We believe AI alters that dynamic. Superior forecasts make the endeavor worthwhile, and AI significantly simplifies connecting those forecasts to business decisions.”

Amid rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns that challenge Asia’s water-heavy rice cultivation, Mitti Labs, a climate-tech startup with headquarters in New York and Bengaluru, has secured $9.5 million in funding led by Aramco Ventures, the investment branch of Saudi Aramco, to grow its presence throughout Asia with a platform that merges satellite imagery, AI, and on-field operations to assist farmers in decreasing water consumption and methane emissions.

The Series A round also saw participation from current investor Lightspeed India, alongside Godrej Industries Group, Cisco, Francis Family Fund, and Volta Circle. With this recent investment, Mitti Labs has increased its total funding to $12.5 million, which includes a $3 million seed investment received in July 2024.

Rice, consumed by over half of the global population, is notably one of the most water-demanding crops. Continuously flooded rice fields also contribute significantly to agricultural methane emissions.

Since the initiation of its programs in 2023, Mitti Labs has aimed to address the high water usage and methane production linked to rice agriculture through a platform that integrates satellite radar imagery with extensive on-ground data collected by its teams. The startup claims this technology develops digital representations of individual rice fields, enabling the monitoring of crop health, water consumption, and methane emissions across numerous smallholder farms, with the average farm size being about one hectare.

Mitti Labs’ GeoAI platform leverages synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from both public and commercial satellites, with resolutions varying from 50 centimeters to 10 meters, along with years of field measurements gathered by its teams. According to co-founder Xavier Laguarta in an interview, the startup’s advantage lies not only in the satellite imagery itself but also in the unique datasets it has constructed to train its AI models, which facilitate remote monitoring of crop development, soil moisture, and flooding on smallholder farms.

Mitti Labs has expanded from collaborating with around 8,000 farmers in its inaugural season in 2024 to over 100,000 this current season across multiple states in India, Laguarta informed TechCrunch. He mentioned that the goal is to reach millions of smallholder farmers by 2030.

The startup now employs more than 150 staff members, primarily based in India, where field teams engage directly with farmers and local organizations to guide them in transitioning to alternative irrigation methods.

Farmers enrolled in Mitti Labs’ initiatives are adopting alternative irrigation methods that the company claims can lower water consumption by approximately 40% and reduce methane emissions by over 50% without compromising yields, while also generating carbon credits that provide an extra revenue stream.

Mitti Labs earns revenue from both carbon credits and its GeoAI platform. Its clientele includes carbon marketplace Cool Effect, which collaborates with companies such as Google and American Airlines, along with rice producer Ebro Foods and agricultural firm Syngenta, both of which utilize Mitti Labs’ data and analytics to enhance water resilience throughout their supply chains.

This progress has also helped draw the interest of Aramco Ventures, whose investment represents its inaugural engagement with an Indian startup. Laguarta mentioned to TechCrunch that the Saudi energy multinational’s venture arm was attracted to Mitti Labs’ commitment to mitigating methane emissions, bolstering water resilience, and implementing AI in agriculture within emerging markets. He noted that this partnership could also enable the startup to leverage Aramco Ventures’ connections in carbon markets and potentially collaborate with Aramco itself in the future.

“Clearly, Aramco is one of the largest corporations globally, and having them as a partner and potential customer over time is a very intriguing position for us,” Laguarta stated.

With the new funding, Mitti Labs intends to commence operations in the Philippines later this year, before progressing into Indonesia and other Southeast Asian markets in 2027. According to Laguarta, this expansion will enable Mitti Labs to cater to compliance carbon markets in addition to the voluntary market within which it presently operates, while tailoring its operational strategy to various agricultural systems and irrigation networks.

“At the end of the day, we really are a data company,” Laguarta remarked. “When you pursue these expansions, you are generating and collecting data from distinct ecosystems.”

Update August 5, 12.10 am PT: Wispr Flow has officially released its notetaker for Mac. The notetaker, akin to Granola’s, utilizes system audio to transcribe meetings without participating. It also refines transcripts, generates action items, and enables users to search through meeting history with AI assistance. Users are able to view a live transcript and request AI assistance to brief them as well.

Our initial reporting based on the changes to Wispr Flow’s terms is outlined below

The dictation app Wispr Flow is gearing up to unveil a meeting notetaker, as indicated by the tool’s revised Terms of Service.

The company also reached out to its clients with information about the adjustments to both its terms and privacy policy to support new features.

A review of the updated terms reveals new sections regarding the handling of meeting data and the notetaker’s functionality. The company stated that the notetaker will produce transcripts, summaries, action points, and insights, stating:

For Notetaker, Input may also encompass Meeting Data, including meeting audio, participant details, meeting metadata, speaker labels, meeting transcripts, and other information processed in relation to a meeting. Output may consist of AI-generated meeting transcripts, summaries, action items, meeting insights, speaker attribution, and additional meeting-related content.

With this launch, the startup will compete with other meeting notetakers like Granola, Fireflies, Read AI, Otter, and Fathom. Wispr Flow’s co-founder Tanay Kothari had previously discussed the development of an AI assistant in interviews. With a meeting notetaker, Wispr Flow would acquire more context about its users and could automate additional tasks beyond merely refining spoken sentences.

It remains uncertain whether the startup aims to create a Granola-style notetaker that depends on system audio to transcribe the meeting without maintaining a recording, or to develop a comprehensive meeting recording solution.

To date, Wispr Flow has secured over $81 million, with the latest valuation reaching $700 million in its previous funding round. In May, Bloomberg reported that the company was discussing a new funding round, raising its valuation to $2 billion.

Wispr Flow has yet to respond to our inquiry for additional comments.

During SpaceX’s inaugural earnings call, Elon Musk made some remarkable assertions regarding the company’s operations and outlook, while his colleagues attempted to ground his visionary thoughts — hinting at what lies ahead now that his rocket-launching, compute-leasing, satellite-driven telecom arm is public.

The call, conducted on Tuesday, is part of a long series where Musk makes bold assertions, leaving his team to temper them for investors — similar to Tesla, where a recent TechCrunch study revealed the world’s richest man is increasingly drawn to visionary concepts while his team focuses on the nuts and bolts of automobile sales.

Let’s begin with one of Musk’s most daring assertions from the call: he anticipates that SpaceX’s Starlink service will “provide a majority of the world’s internet” in “under 10 years.” This statement was made in relation to SpaceX’s upcoming launch of its first “V3” Starlink satellites, which offer significantly higher bandwidth than their predecessors.

Here’s what he expressed:

It’s somewhat challenging for people to comprehend, but it’s conceivable that Starlink could deliver a majority of the world’s internet, particularly in nations where we’re permitted to operate, which is most nations. So this is something important to keep in mind, and it’s not in some distant future. It’s, you know, under 10 years.

In contrast, chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell stated just a few minutes later, with emphasis added:

The substantial capacity we can add to the Starlink constellation through the V3 satellites will allow us to continue enhancing our service — and it’s already quite impressive — while serving an increasing number of customers globally. In fact, in the coming years, we anticipate Starlink will account for a significant share of global internet traffic, which Elon also mentioned.

This claim is much more cautiously formulated, although still ambitious.

However, this was not the only moment where Musk’s optimism ran high. At one juncture, SpaceX chief financial officer Bret Johnsen presented investors with one of the few financial targets discussed during the call. Johnsen highlighted SpaceX’s relatively recent venture into offering compute power rental to other AI companies, which has generated billions in new and rapid revenue.

I’ll reiterate the significant promise Johnsen made during his prepared comments, noting how carefully he expressed it. His statement was very cautious and precise, clearly designed to excite investors while leaving the company some leeway to dodge legal repercussions if it falls short of the forecast:

Looking forward, we continue to observe strong demand across all three of our sectors, particularly within our cloud service agreements. We’re witnessing increasingly favorable economic conditions with each deal we finalize, and as Elon indicated, we foresee the supply-demand gap in the compute sector persisting. The current economics have led to a payback period of less than one year for our new capital investments in compute. For instance, in the initial weeks of the third quarter, we’ve already secured an additional $6.7 billion in cloud service revenue over a six-month timeframe starting this October. We believe this positions us towards reaching $100 billion of ARR, or annualized revenue run rate by year-end, based on our expected revenue for December.

Twenty minutes later, Musk countered that meticulously crafted statement with an immediate inflation of it:

To clarify, the $100 billion ARR in December is not uncertain. That’s… that’s what we would hit even if we basically did nothing. So, you know, I think it might be higher than that. It likely will be higher than that.

Musk also elaborated on another major revenue prediction during the call, enhancing a target that SpaceX articulated merely two months prior in its IPO filings:

It might also be pertinent to note that our internal forecasts for achieving a trillion dollars in revenue, not ARR, but overall revenue, have advanced from 2031 to 2030. So before the IPO, our financial projections indicated a trillion dollars in revenue by 2031. We now expect that to occur in 2030, and there’s a non-negligible possibility it will happen in 2029.

This pattern kept reappearing throughout the call. A question from a shareholder regarding advancements on the “human landing system” that SpaceX is creating for NASA’s Artemis lunar missions via Starship led Musk to hint that the prototype rocket will be ready to transport people by next year’s end. He later asserted that SpaceX would be operating Starship rockets once daily, or “potentially more,” by this time next year.

Shotwell promptly followed Musk’s comments regarding human flight to clarify that SpaceX remains focused on NASA-mandated benchmarks, and presented a more vague (yet still ambitious) aspiration (emphasis mine) that “we want to have boots on the ground, boots on the moon, in 2028.”

None of this will materialize unless SpaceX can demonstrate that Starship can operate reliably and, critically, become fully reusable. A pivotal aspect of achieving reusability is the heat shield that prevents the Starship upper stage from disintegrating upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. The company experienced optimal results from its enhanced heat shield during its most recent test flight of Starship, which successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean last month and remains intact. However, even before the rocket stage had been retrieved, Musk proclaimed on Tuesday that he would “consider the heat shield issue resolved at this juncture.”

Musk has made numerous extravagant promises about SpaceX that ultimately went unfulfilled, such as asserting in 2016 that he would send humans to Mars within six years. The difference today is that SpaceX is a public enterprise, ostensibly subject to regulations and penalties if the company and its executives make commitments they are aware cannot be fulfilled.

Of course, the Securities and Exchange Commission has significantly reduced Corporate enforcement, especially regarding public companies. The Department of Justice is similarly scaling back. And if SpaceX fails to deliver on Musk’s ambitious assertions, investors may find themselves with limited recourse in civil court — because the company has effectively shielded itself against such lawsuits by incorporating in Texas.

On Tuesday, Lucid Motors announced that its “operational reset” will concentrate on reducing cash expenditures by $1.4 billion, alongside three other critical initiatives aimed at generating revenue, such as robotaxis, its manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, and the introduction of a mid-sized electric vehicle.

However, the mid-sized vehicle, which is expected to be priced under $50,000, has now been postponed until next year, having initially been slated for shipment by the end of 2026.

“Our goal is straightforward: the mid-size vehicle will launch only once all processes and quality standards are fulfilled,” stated Lucid’s new CEO Silvio Napoli during a conference call on Tuesday. “We will avoid repeating past errors by introducing a product to the market before it’s fully prepared.”

The restructuring plan, spearheaded by Napoli, seeks to reverse Lucid’s increasing electric vehicle inventory and unrestrained spending. To achieve the $1.4 billion in cash savings, Lucid indicated it will decrease capital expenditure by $500 million and aim for projected savings of between $600 million and $800 million in inventory, as per its second-quarter earnings report. Additionally, the company plans to cut operating costs by $200 million.

If successful, this initiative could ensure a sufficient liquidity runway extending into 2027, Napoli mentioned during Tuesday’s call with investors.

Napoli was forthright during his inaugural quarterly earnings call as CEO.

“Our operational methods need to evolve,” he expressed. “While there’s no doubt that Lucid has introduced leading innovations and remarkable products, we’ve fallen short in various areas for far too long. We have not executed consistently, failed to meet commitments, launched products prematurely, underinvested in service, responded inadequately to quality concerns, and allowed complexity to hinder decision-making.”

Napoli has already begun implementing parts of this strategy. The company has revamped its executive team and appointed several key leaders, including a new CFO, CTO, CCO, CDO, and chief transformation officer. Napoli has halved the number of direct reports to him and in June instructed the company to reduce its workforce by 18%, equating to approximately 1,500 jobs, shortly after a prior cut of 12%.

Lucid has also discontinued the second shift of EV production at its Casa Grande, Arizona facility. The layoffs and this shift reduction are expected to yield $158 million in annualized savings, according to Napoli during the earnings call.

Notwithstanding these adjustments, Lucid’s second-quarter earnings reflect a company that continues to incur losses. The EV manufacturer reported revenues of $405 million, an increase from $259.4 million in the same quarter last year. It recorded a net loss of $1.26 billion, or $3.30 a share, compared to a loss of $855.3 million, or $2.80 a share, a year prior.

Lucid confirmed it concluded the second quarter with $3 billion in liquidity.

While cost reduction is crucial to this reset, Napoli identified several essential projects, including the forthcoming mid-sized EV, the completion of the AMP-2 factory in Saudi Arabia, and its robotaxi initiative with Uber and Nuro, which are poised to drive profitability.

The mid-sized EV, termed Cosmos, will be the inaugural model from Lucid’s mid-sized platform, which “remains a vital component of Lucid’s strategic roadmap,” Napoli remarked. However, he added, “the tasks ahead are considerable.” Napoli indicated that Lucid has “not executed consistently” and “responded too inadequately” to quality challenges, which is the reason for the vehicle’s delay.

Napoli is also optimistic about the robotaxi initiative with Uber and Nuro, considering it a chance to enhance earnings beyond direct consumer sales. To underscore this program’s significance to Lucid, the company has established a new business division called Lucid Technologies, headed by chief digital officer Kai Stepper. This division will concentrate on AI, advanced driver assistance systems, and digital technologies.

“We anticipate the profit margins of this model will significantly surpass those of the conventional retail approach,” Napoli stated, referencing the robotaxi initiative that incorporates Nuro’s autonomous driving technology with Lucid’s Gravity SUVs. Uber will manage the premium robotaxi service, enabling users to request the autonomous vehicles via its app.

Nuro and Uber are running tests with a fleet of 100 vehicles in Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company announced last month that it commenced deliveries of validation vehicles produced at a facility in Coolidge, Arizona. Regular production of the robotaxi is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter, aiming for a launch by late 2026.

During the call, Napoli took a moment to dispel rumors from last month suggesting that the company had engaged consulting firm AlixPartners to explore bankruptcy options.

“Their engagement has been strictly aimed at supporting our cost-reduction plans and streamlining our operations; we expect to conclude their assignment by the end of this month,” he stated.

This report has been updated with additional details from Lucid’s earnings call.

Congratulations! You’re ready for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026! Or perhaps you’re still contemplating your accommodations. Regardless, the truth is that San Francisco can be quite pricey for a stay, which is why we’ve collaborated with nearby hotels around Moscone West during Disrupt, occurring from October 13 to 15, to lock in the best pricing for attendees.

Before exploring your choices, keep in mind a few significant advantages:

• These bookings can be amended or canceled without incurring any fees.

• There is no initial payment required for any of these bookings.

• Your loyalty programs and reward points will function as anticipated.

• All participating hotels are within a short walk to Moscone West, which allows for that essential pre-Disrupt coffee or additional networking after the event.

Each of these hotels provides an excellent combination of proximity to Disrupt and numerous options for personalizing your San Francisco experience to match your preferences.

Nestled along the waterfront, the Hyatt Regency is merely a short stroll from Disrupt and all its accompanying events, and even closer to the iconic Ferry Building. Enjoy great dining at Hog Island Oyster Company or Gott’s Roadside, and if you’re extending your visit, a ferry ride can take you to picturesque destinations like Sausalito and Angel Island.

For those who still have energy after an exhilarating day at Disrupt, Hotel Zelos offers a four-star experience featuring a rooftop bar ideal for post-event discussions and gatherings. For urban adventurers, public transit makes it convenient to continue your post-Disrupt networking at other locations across the city.

You can’t find a closer option than the InterContinental, located adjacent to Moscone West, serving as an ideal launch point for discovering the event and exploring everything else around. Within walking distance are the renowned San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Metreon theater—though we can’t guarantee their 70MM IMAX will still be screening the Odyssey…

The Grand Hyatt dominates the skyline of San Francisco, situated next to Union Square, where you can indulge in some of the best dining or shopping the city has to offer during your free time. Discover classic steakhouses, innovative Vietnamese cuisine, or one of the city’s acclaimed cocktail bars. Moreover, it’s conveniently close to historic Chinatown and its numerous attractions.

If you still have a colleague you’d like to join, it’s not too late! Register another person and benefit from a discount on their pass while maximizing the Disrupt experience for both of you.

With discounted hotel room blocks available for a limited duration, we recommend booking early to guarantee your chosen hotel at the best rate. Begin organizing your itinerary right here.

If you are still undecided, remember that until 11:59 p.m. this Friday, August 7, we are running a limited-time flash sale on tickets, with this link providing an additional $100 off founder, investor, or attendee tickets. And if you’re all set, we eagerly await your presence in San Francisco this October!

SpaceX has significantly increased its acquisitions of Tesla Megapack, investing $295 million in the battery storage systems during the second quarter and $329 million year-to-date, as outlined in the earnings report published on Tuesday.

This acquisition underscores the deep interrelation of Elon Musk’s array of enterprises. Musk, who serves as CEO and the primary shareholder of SpaceX, also oversees Tesla. Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, bought his social media platform, X, in 2025. Earlier this year, SpaceX absorbed xAI.

These large-scale batteries are likely being utilized at the company’s xAI data centers. Prior to xAI’s merger with SpaceX, the AI firm procured $430 million in Megapacks for its data facilities. In the first quarter of this year, xAI had only acquired $34 million worth of these units. SpaceX also indicated that as of December 2025, it had procured $131 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, according to its regulatory disclosures.

While xAI has predominantly relied on natural gas to fuel its data centers — including several unpermitted turbines at a location in Mississippi close to the Colossus data center initiative — large batteries like the Megapack remain an essential component of data centers.

In addition to delivering considerable backup power that can be accessed in a fraction of a second, batteries can supply additional power to GPUs during peak demand periods. AI data centers do not consume power uniformly; instead, their power needs fluctuate according to the requirements of training AI models and executing inference.

Such surges can lead to hefty fees from local utilities or strain on-site generators. Batteries assist in leveling out these surges, minimizing expenses while ensuring the data center’s steady operation.

SpaceX has seen its revenue double compared to the previous year, primarily fueled by the expansion of its Starlink satellite internet service and agreements made to lease computing power to Anthropic and Google, as disclosed in its inaugural quarterly earnings report following its public offering.

Overall sales surged from $4 billion in Q2 2025 to $7.8 billion in Q2 2026, marking an increase of 92%. Almost $2 billion of that boost originated from its AI sector, while Starlink’s revenue also experienced a rise of $1.7 billion. The company did incur a loss of $541 million in this quarter, yet this was an improvement from the $1 billion loss reported in the same quarter last year.

Bret Johnsen, SpaceX’s CFO, stated on Tuesday that the company has $6.7 billion in cloud services revenue contractually secured “over a six-month period commencing in October of this year.” He also expressed confidence that, once the AI startup Cursor is fully integrated, the company could achieve a $100 billion annualized revenue run-rate [ARR] by year-end. (For 2025, the company recorded $18.67 billion in revenue.)

CEO Elon Musk went further, asserting: “The $100 billion ARR in December is not uncertain. That’s what we would hit if we essentially did nothing. Therefore, I believe it could even exceed that amount. It likely will.”

Following a successful bond sale post-IPO, the company has amassed a $100 billion reserve. And it continues to ramp up its expenditures. It reported over $28 billion in capital spending during the first half of this year, a significant rise from $7 billion in the first half of 2025.

SpaceX’s initial quarterly earnings report was published nearly two months after the company executed the largest IPO in history. SpaceX secured more than $85 billion and went public with a valuation of $1.75 trillion.

The market capitalization of the company skyrocketed within the initial trading days, briefly surpassing Amazon and almost matching Microsoft. However, it has experienced declines since then, falling below the IPO price of $135 per share reportedly established by CEO Elon Musk himself. The shares closed at slightly above $125 on Tuesday but dropped as much as 8% in after-hours trading.

Both of these computing agreements were announced in the weeks leading up to SpaceX’s IPO, representing a significant transition for the company. SpaceX’s AI division, which was previously Musk’s own startup xAI before its integration into the rocket firm, has been striving — yet struggling — to match the top laboratories like OpenAI and Anthropic and attract customers. These challenges arose alongside various controversies around xAI, including incidents where its Grok chatbot referred to itself as “MechaHitler” and the technology generated child sexual abuse material.

Having already established two data centers in and around Memphis, Tennessee to train xAI’s models, the company pivoted much of that capacity to be leased to clients like Anthropic and Google.

“The additional revenue from new hosting agreements produced high incremental EBITDA margins as we optimized the utilization of available computing capacity,” Johnsen remarked during a conference call on Tuesday.

For numerous applications, allowing access to your device’s exact location is logical. Your preferred weather application needs to understand your location to provide the daily forecast, just like your favorite fitness application for monitoring your running path. 

However, certain applications unintentionally share their users’ location information with third parties, including advertisers and data brokers, as the app developer might be unaware that this data-sharing option is set to active by default.

Recent research from the Electronic Frontier Foundation aims to alert app developers that some third-party code integrated into their applications may also gather their users’ location data once permission has been granted to the app. 

Unless the developer explicitly disables this collection, the code snippet (known as software development kits, or SDKs) will automatically acquire the app’s permissions and collect the user’s exact location data.

The EFF states that many developers may not be aware they are, by default, sharing their users’ location data with third parties and encouraged app creators to turn off unnecessary data collection whenever feasible. 

While advertising SDKs are marketed as a method for developers to monetize their apps, the trade-off is that users’ location histories are passed to data brokers, who profit from that data, which can subsequently be sold to military organizations, governments, and intelligence agencies, such as the FBI. This data also poses a security and privacy threat if it is hacked or stolen, a risk that some data brokers have faced.

Among the Android apps identified by the EFF that were discreetly sharing users’ location data were two that had been downloaded a total of 60 million times to date.

The EFF conducted its analysis by examining the apps’ network traffic and determining which services were receiving users’ location data.

Bill Budington, a senior staff technologist at the EFF, informed TechCrunch that the SDKs they reviewed represent a minor fraction of the larger advertising landscape, yet they claim to engage billions of users across tens of thousands of applications. This illustrates the extent of this form of location data harvesting. 

The EFF’s report mentioned that there are “no SDK-specific location permissions,” meaning that once the user permits their location data to be shared with the application, that data is likewise shared with advertisers. The entities providing those SDKs are typically motivated commercially to encourage their clients to gather more data.

“App-level location permissions alone cannot convey significant consent to location collection and sharing by third-party advertising SDKs,” stated the EFF. “Advertising SDKs should not default to sharing personal data, particularly for sensitive information such as an individual’s location.”