Insurers ' use of mobile - phone towers to identify a person 's location is being challenged following a string of wrongful arrests and allegations of claim fraud based on data harvested from the masts . The case of Jaclyn Bentley of Iowa , who was accused of committing arson to claim an insurance payout , highlights the difficulties of relying on tower data . Her insurer , State Farm , used phone - tower signals to place her near the mast . Bentley was acquitted after errors were found in the data , and she is suing the company . Biometrics expert Michael Cherry , who has testified in successful challenges to similar allegations , claims insurers often misinterpret the claims .
Insurers' use of mobile-phone towers to identify a person's location is being challenged following a spate of wrongful arrests and accusations of claim fraud based on data harvested from the masts. The case of Jaclyn Bentley of Iowa, who was accused of committing arson to claim an insurance payout, highlights the difficulties of relying on tower data. Her insurer, State Farm, used phone-tower signals to place her near the fire. Bentley was acquitted after errors were found in the data, and she is suing the company. Biometrics expert Michael Cherry, who has testified in successful challenges to similar allegations, said insurers often misinterpret the data.