FTC scolds two data brokers for allegedly selling your location to the metre

December 3, 2024 at 09:37PM The FTC has settled with data brokers Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla for selling sensitive location data without consent. Both companies will delete improperly obtained data and enhance privacy measures, as well as refrain from distributing information about visits to sensitive locations. This bipartisan ruling highlights ongoing privacy concerns among regulators. … Read more

FTC bans data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive location data

December 3, 2024 at 11:08AM The FTC has banned data brokers Mobilewalla and Gravy Analytics from collecting and selling Americans’ sensitive location data, including visits to churches and healthcare facilities. They must erase historical data, establish sensitive location programs, and are prohibited from future sales of such data, following earlier actions against similar companies. ### … Read more

Pokémon GO was an intelligence tool, claims Belarus military official

September 12, 2024 at 02:36AM Belarus defense official Alexander Ilanov claimed that Pokémon GO was used by Western intelligence agencies, stating that during the game’s peak, the location of digital monsters coincided with a military runway. Despite earlier accusations, developer Niantic denied sharing user info. The idea of the game as an intelligence tool has … Read more

Wireless Carriers Face $200M FCC Fine As Data Privacy Waters Roil

April 30, 2024 at 12:56PM The FCC fined top US wireless carriers a total of $200 million for sharing customers’ location information without consent. The investigation, initiated after a sheriff used a location-finding service to access customer data, revealed that the carriers had sold data to two firms. The carriers argue the fines are based … Read more

FCC Fines Wireless Carriers for Sharing User Locations Without Consent

April 30, 2024 at 11:22AM The Federal Communications Commission fined AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon a total of nearly $200 million for illegally sharing customers’ location data without consent, following an investigation that began in 2019. The carriers face penalties for failing to protect sensitive real-time location information and violating federal laws. Carriers have the … Read more

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile US fined $200M for selling off people’s location info

April 29, 2024 at 07:26PM The FCC fined AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile US almost $200 million for selling subscribers’ location data to data brokers. The telcos were ordered to pay between $12 million and $80 million. FCC boss Jessica Rosenworcel emphasized the sensitivity of the data being sold and the carriers’ failure to protect … Read more

FCC fines carriers $200 million for illegally sharing user location

April 29, 2024 at 03:41PM The FCC has fined major U.S. wireless carriers around $200 million for sharing customers’ real-time location data without consent. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon faced fines for unauthorized disclosure of location information. Carriers sold data to third parties without obtaining valid customer consent, failing to safeguard it as required by … Read more

NSA Admits Secretly Buying Your Internet Browsing Data without Warrants

January 29, 2024 at 02:15AM The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) admits to purchasing internet browsing records from data brokers without court orders, raising concerns about Americans’ privacy. Senator Wyden criticizes this practice and emphasizes the potential privacy risks, especially relating to sensitive topics like mental health or domestic abuse. The revelation highlights a broader … Read more

FTC Bans InMarket for Selling Precise User Location Without Consent

January 22, 2024 at 03:03AM The U.S. FTC has banned InMarket Media from selling precise location data without consumer consent and ordered it to destroy collected data subject to user approval. InMarket and Outlogic faced bans for allegations of improper location data use. InMarket allegedly harvested location data from various apps, while a study revealed … Read more

FTC bans one more data broker from selling your location info

January 19, 2024 at 12:14PM The FTC settled with InMarket, prohibiting it from selling Americans’ location data. The company collects data from its own and third-party apps, creating detailed advertising profiles without users’ consent. The FTC found InMarket’s data retention policy excessive and proposed measures including data deletion and consent enforcement. This is the FTC’s … Read more