Two U.S. data brokers, Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla, have agreed to halt the collection of sensitive location data on Americans following settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC had accused both companies of unlawfully tracking people near sensitive locations such as healthcare facilities and military bases.
The settlements, announced Tuesday, prevent Gravy Analytics, based in Virginia, and Mobilewalla, based in Georgia, from collecting and retaining detailed location data. This resolution comes after the FTC charged the companies with selling location data that could identify individuals, including their visits to medical centers and religious venues.
The FTC claims that Gravy Analytics and its subsidiary Venntel gathered and sold consumers' location data for commercial and government purposes without obtaining proper consent. Despite learning that individuals hadn't agreed to their data being sold, they continued to use it. Additionally, Gravy Analytics allegedly sold sensitive information derived from location data, such as health, political, and religious details.
Mobilewalla faced similar accusations for selling sensitive location data, including information that could expose individuals' private residences. The FTC stated that Mobilewalla obtained much of this data from real-time bidding exchanges and third-party aggregators, with consumers unaware of the data collection. The data was not anonymized, and Mobilewalla allegedly lacked procedures to remove sensitive locations before selling it.
Mobilewalla is also accused of using location data to segment audiences for targeted advertising, including profiling people involved in protests following George Floyd’s death.
As part of the settlements, Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla will stop collecting sensitive location data and delete the historical data they've gathered. They will also be required to implement a program to identify sensitive locations and prevent the use, sale, or sharing of data tied to visits to places like hospitals, religious institutions, schools, and prisons.
The settlements reflect ongoing actions by the U.S. government under the Biden administration. Additionally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently proposed a rule to prevent data brokers from selling Americans' personal and financial information, including Social Security numbers and phone numbers.
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