(MENAFN) A sweeping investigation by multiple European news organizations has uncovered that vast amounts of mobile phone location data from across Belgium — including signals from devices belonging to EU officials, NATO staff, and military personnel — are being traded by commercial data brokers.

The joint probe, conducted by L’Echo, Le Monde, BR, ARD, Netzpolitik.org, and BNR Nieuwsradio, found that numerous mobile apps collecting users’ location data routinely share or sell it, despite assurances that the information is “anonymous.”

Reporters said the datasets allow individuals to be tracked with striking precision, revealing home addresses, workplaces, and daily routines — a practice that raises significant national security concerns for those in sensitive institutions.

According to the investigation, signals from mobile devices were traced inside several critical infrastructures, including Belgium’s Doel and Tihange nuclear power plants, high-security prisons, NATO headquarters in Brussels, and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons. Similar data points were also detected at Belgian military sites such as Kleine-Brogel, a base long believed to house U.S. nuclear weapons.

A NATO representative told L’Echo the alliance is “fully aware of the general risks that third-party data collection poses” and has “implemented measures to mitigate these risks,” though no specifics were provided. Despite these precautions, the report said more than 1,000 mobile phones were still detected within NATO premises.

Engie, operator of Belgium’s nuclear facilities, confirmed that personal connected devices are banned inside technical nuclear zones except for authorized professional use. The Belgian Defense Ministry stated that smartphones are strictly prohibited in all sensitive areas.

Journalists obtained the information from data brokers purchasing location data from multiple app sources. Although officially sold for marketing and advertising, analysts warned that combining datasets enables the re-identification of individuals.

Investigators said they managed to pinpoint several high-ranking European officials — including three senior figures within EU institutions — whose device data matched their home and office locations. Two confirmed the accuracy of the findings but asked not to be publicly named.

The European Commission described the revelations as “disturbing,” adding it is “concerned about the trade” in personal location data.

According to the investigation, brokers marketed access to Belgium-based location datasets for between $24,000 and $60,000 annually, covering as many as 700,000 tracked phones per day.

Experts stressed that so-called “anonymous” data often isn’t. Research cited in the report shows that knowing just two reference points — such as a person’s home and workplace — can re-identify an individual with 95% accuracy.

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