Am I Being Tracked (AIBT) is an Access Now project that allowed users to test their devices to see if they were being tracked by their mobile carriers. In 2014, security researchers revealed that mobile carriers in the U.S. were secretly monitoring the web browsing habits of their users. In the wake of this revelation, we developed this project to call attention to the practice and to better understand tracking headers. Our test is no longer live, but we provide resources on this archived site for researchers, technologies, and people who would like to learn more about their privacy.
WHAT WE FOUND
Since the project launch in October 2014, more than 200,000 people from around the world have used the tool, and the results are startling. Our report presents results of nearly 180,000 tests conducted in the first six months. Here’s a snapshot of our findings:
MEDIA COVERAGE
Wall Street Journal, National Journal, Medianama, India Today, Wired, The Register,Techdirt, Vice: Motherboard, RCR Wireless News, Security Lab, Dutch News, Network World, Lava Soft,Help Net Security, Hipertextual, Version 2, Mename, Tech Republic, Globb Security, Observer, ProPublica
OUR IMPACT
- Verizon was fined $1.35 million by the Federal Communications Commission for the use of tracking headers through our campaign and the work of researchers, advocates, and courageous journalists.
- Our report was widely covered in international media around the world.
- We were able to directly pressure telecommunications companies to improve their data practices.
- We educated hundreds of thousands of users about their privacy rights.
Questions? Visit our FAQ about tracking. If you are a researcher and would like to carry on this work, please contact [email protected].