What uses data on a mobile phone is an interesting question. It can get quite technical but it's all about being able to collect the information you need. Many times you'll be able to receive a text message and know exactly what the person that sent it wanted to say. Or maybe you received a call and you wanted to know who that person was before you put the phone down.
Now these are just a few examples. The technology behind mobiles is almost limitless. In fact, there are so many things that can be done on a cell phone that it would be impossible to tell them all in this article. However, there are a few things that cell phone companies decide to keep confidential.
One of the most sensitive pieces of information that a cell phone user can have on their phone is their address. All of the major carriers are doing this already but some of the smaller ones are not yet doing it. This is a problem because there are so many instances of people providing incorrect information on their mobile phone. This type of information will end up on the Internet and other third party services. That means for you, your neighbor, and possibly even the police if they were to find the information on the Internet.
So how does this affect you? Well, imagine you're going on a trip and you ask your friend to give you her cell number so you can check it to see if she is at the airport. Unfortunately, she tells you she is at the beach and that she doesn't usually do that. If you had a mobile phone and had the ability to check the numbers against the addresses you'd be able to verify her location. Unfortunately, there's no such application for cell phones.
Another scenario could be that your child calls you and mentions something about an old friend that you may have never heard of. You can use this information to locate where this person is today. Is this something you would want to do on your own? Of course not. Why?
This information can be used ethically by those who are doing the reverse look ups for a fee. However, there is a problem with these paid services. They can only access the databases if the phone carrier provides them with permission. For instance, the mobile phone company might only allow Verizon or AT&T to provide this information. So you might be able to use this service for free, but you won't be able to use it to find out someone's address from their phone number.
The real question is what uses data on a mobile phone for when you need to find that address of someone? If you are a parent trying to locate a lost child, then this service would be very useful to you. It would allow you to enter that phone number and narrow down to the city and state in which your child is located. This would make your search much easier and efficient.
So what uses data on a mobile phone for a legitimate reason is probably the most important question? Everyone can use this information for whatever they wish to. You can use it ethically or you can use this data ethically by purchasing the data you need to use from a reputable source. The question is does your phone carrier to provide you with access to this information? This is something that needs to be addressed in your review of what uses data on a mobile phone.