FTC Cracks Down On Selling Sensitive Location Info, Restricts Use Of Consumer Data For 1st Time

Highlights

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced this week proposed settlements in two enforcement actions – one with data broker Mobilewalla, Inc., and the other with data analytics provider Gravy Analytics, Inc. – after asserting that the companies unlawfully sold sensitive location data, including data associated with visits to healthcare facilities, churches and military sites.
• Both companies now face, among other things, restrictions on using and selling sensitive location data. Further, the FTC, for the first time, prohibited the use of consumer data collected for a certain purpose to then be used for other purposes.
• This Holland & Knight alert reviews these enforcement actions and provides key takeaways for companies.