FTC Sues Data Broker to Protect Patient, Consumer Privacy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today sued data broker Kochava Inc. for selling geolocation data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices that can reveal people’s visits to reproductive health clinics, places of worship, homeless and domestic violence shelters, and addiction recovery facilities. By selling this data, Kochava is exposing people to threats of stigma, stalking, discrimination, job loss, and physical violence. Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“Especially in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, today’s FTC action is urgently needed to protect patients and consumers from data surveillance-superpowered vigilantes, extremists, and overzealous prosecutors.
“This lawsuit highlights the very real threats that data surveillance poses to peoples’ safety, security, bodily integrity, and access to health care. It is why it so important that the FTC is pursuing a broad rule to protect consumer privacy and restrict data surveillance, and why Congress should pass legislation to ensure robust privacy protections for all Americans.”