FTC Reaches First Settlement Banning Location Data Tracking (1)

Data broker X-Mode Social and its successor Outlogic LLC reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission prohibiting the company from sharing or selling sensitive location information.

The settlement is the first of its kind between the agency and a data broker concerning the sale of individual users’ geolocation data. The FTC accused X-Mode and Outlogic of selling precise data that could be used to track users’ visits to sensitive locations, such as reproductive health clinics and places of worships. The company “failed to put in place reasonable and appropriate safeguards on the use of such information by third parties,” ...