FTC Bans Kochava from Selling Sensitive Location Data
The FTC has barred data broker Kochava from selling sensitive location data without consumer consent.
Why it matters: Legal and compliance teams must adjust risk and privacy strategies, as federal regulators are stepping up enforcement actions targeting data brokers' handling of location data. Increased scrutiny means corporations must closely examine their data privacy safeguards and location-data workflows.
- Kochava is prohibited from selling, sharing, or disclosing sensitive location data without consent.
- The FTC alleged Kochava sold location data tied to hundreds of millions of mobile devices.
- Location data sales could trace individuals to health facilities and places of worship.
- Kochava must develop a program to block the sale of sensitive location data under the FTC order.
The Federal Trade Commission has settled charges against data broker Kochava, prohibiting the company and its subsidiary from selling or sharing sensitive location data without consumer consent. According to the FTC, Kochava had been selling location data collected from hundreds of millions of mobile devices.
- Regulators alleged this data could reveal the movements of individuals to sensitive places, such as reproductive health clinics and religious institutions. In August 2022, the FTC sued Kochava for allegedly invading consumer privacy by selling data that tracked people without their knowledge or consent.
- “Geolocation data can reveal not just where a person lives and whom they spend time with but also, for example, which medical treatments they seek and where they worship,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan.
- Under the proposed order, Kochava must create a sensitive location data program to identify protected sites and develop mechanisms to block the sale, transfer, or disclosure of such data.
- This enforcement mirrors the FTC’s January 2024 order against data brokers X-Mode Social and Outlogic, restricting their ability to sell sensitive location information (details).
For legal departments, this development signals a heightened risk environment. Ongoing FTC actions highlight the need for robust policies around collecting, handling, and disclosing location data—especially regarding consumer consent and identifying sensitive locations.
By the numbers:
- Hundreds of millions — Mobile devices' location data sold by Kochava
- August 2022 — FTC lawsuit filed against Kochava
- May 2026 — FTC announced proposed order banning Kochava data sales