FTC sues data broker for letting people track health clinic visitors

The Federal Trade Commission has sued app analytics firm Kochava for selling sensitive geolocation data, including details that could unmask people seeking or performing abortions.

The lawsuit claims Kochava failed to add basic privacy protections to its location data, much of which is collected from phones without the owners’ knowledge. “Kochava’s data can reveal people’s visits to reproductive health clinics, places of worship, homeless and domestic violence shelters, and addiction recovery facilities,” the FTC said in a press release. “By selling data tracking people, Kochava is enabling others to identify individuals and exposing them to threats of stigma, stalking, discrimination, job loss, and even physical violence.” The agency...

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