Data collection through mobile app raises safety concerns

U.S.-based mobile application Premise’s data gathering for the U.S. military and others is raising safety concerns, The Wall Street Journal reports. In Ukraine, gig workers have been harvesting data — collecting smartphone photos of certain locations — for a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and last week were accused of being Russian agents using the app for targeted military strikes. Premise CEO Maury Blackman said contributors gathered publicly accessible data, potential sale of data is disclosed and data is provided so customers “can better understand the world.”