The Federal Trade Commission will ban data broker Kochava and its subsidiary Collective Data Solutions from selling precise location data without consumers’ explicit consent as part of a settlement over allegations that the companies collected and monetized geolocation information from hundreds of millions of mobile devices. The proposed court-enforceable order requires consent verification, a sensitive location data program, disclosure and deletion mechanisms, incident reporting, and other safeguards to prevent misuse of location data. #Kochava #CollectiveDataSolutions
Keypoints
- The FTC sued Kochava in August 2022 for collecting and selling precise geolocation data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices.
- Kochava sold location data feeds via the AWS Marketplace to paying clients, claiming billions of geo transactions and millions of active users.
- The location data allowed clients to track movements to and from sensitive sites like mental health and addiction facilities, reproductive clinics, places of worship, and shelters.
- The proposed order bars Kochava and Collective Data Solutions from selling precise location data without affirmative express consent and only for services consumers requested.
- The companies must implement consent verification, a sensitive location data program, supplier assessments, disclosure and withdrawal processes, incident reporting, and data retention and deletion schedules.