The Federal Trade Commission is continuing its crackdown on data brokers, banning a second company from selling precise location data.
The FTC banned X-Mode, and its successor Outlogic, from selling precise location data in early January. The agency has now followed suit with a similar ban on InMarket Media. The ban prohibits the company from selling or licensing precise location data in response to the company’s failure to provide the necessary disclosures or obtain the necessary consent from consumers.
“All too often, Americans are tracked by serial data hoarders that endlessly vacuum up and use personal information. Today’s FTC action makes clear that firms do not have free license to monetize data tracking people’s precise location,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “We’ll continue to use all our tools to protect Americans from unchecked corporate surveillance.”
The two cases should service as a warning to other data brokers not to play fast and loose with consumers’ privacy.