FTC Sues Kochava for Allegedly Selling Data That Can Track Reproductive Health Clinic Visits

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Further signaling its stance against commercial surveillance of Americans, particularly pregnant people in the post-Roe U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it has sued Kochava, a significant location data provider, for allegedly selling data that the FTC says can track people at reproductive health clinics and places of worship.

The Commission seeks to stop Kochava’s sale of sensitive location data and “require the company to delete the sensitive geolocation information it has collected.” A data set made available by Kochava shows that it’s possible to identify a mobile device that visited a women’s reproductive health clinic and trace it to a single family residence. The data set also reveals that the same mobile device was at a particular location at least three evenings in the same week, suggesting the mobile device user’s routine. “The data may also be used to identify medical professionals who perform, or assist in the performance,…