The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently reached two settlements in actions against data brokers concerning their use of consumer location data and banning them from collecting, using, or selling consumer location data...more
In its May 2023 complaint, the FTC alleged that data broker Outlogic (formerly known as X-Mode Social) (hereafter Outlogic) had engaged in activities that violated Section 5(a) of the FTC Act (15 U.S.C. § 45(a)), which...more
On January 9, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its first ever prohibition on the use, sale and disclosure of sensitive location data against X- Mode Social and Outlogic (“X-Mode”), a location data broker. Only...more
The FTC announced an action last week against location data broker X-Mode Social and its corporate successor Outlogic (collectively, “X-Mode”) based on several alleged violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act. According to FTC...more
“Precise Geolocation” has become a hot button issue in the privacy world with recent data privacy laws seeking to regulate the collection and processing of such information, including in California and Virginia. The...more
If you don’t know what geofencing is, I will give you some articles to read so you can become better educated on exactly what it is and how it is used to track you. It’s all a bit creepy, but is a good thing to understand....more
As we had previously blogged, the FTC in guidance following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health indicated that it would aggressively wield its enforcement authority in relation to deceptive...more
INRIX, a company that provides location-based data analytics, has been collecting, analyzing, and selling aggregated vehicle, traffic, and parking data for over 17 years. Now, after the Roe v. Wade decision, INRIX is under...more
On July 11, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published “Location, health, and other sensitive information: FTC committed to fully enforcing the law against illegal use and sharing of highly sensitive data,” on its...more
Where are you? Your exact location is a tidbit of information that can infringe on your privacy. Knowing your location all the time can help someone map your life....more
This is not the first post discussing location-based services on mobile phones. And it won’t be the last. After reading my colleague’s post on the priest who resigned from his high-profile position after his location was tied...more
This past week, the operator of the popular Weather Channel (“TWC”) mobile phone app entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with the Los Angeles City Attorney, Mike Feuer (“City Attorney”), closing the books on one of the...more
The alarm bells have been sounding about location tracking, and the state legislatures have been responding. Perhaps the loudest ringing in 2020 is from the Washington Privacy Act, the Senate and House versions of which are...more
Businesses subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) are working diligently to comply with the law’s numerous mandates, although final regulatory guidance has yet to be issued. Many of these businesses are...more
I once again had the pleasure of presenting Cybersecurity for Tax Professionals at the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum today. The conference is designed for tax professionals in small- to medium-sized businesses....more
New York City (NYC) Council members are proposing unprecedented action to curb location data sharing. The City Council bill to ban the sharing of cellphone users' geo-location data to marketers was presented for debate after...more
Last week’s Privacy Tip centered on how our cell phone geolocation data is being sold by the telephone companies Cell Phone Geolocation Data Being Sold. ...more
A lawsuit filed late last week by Los Angeles City Attorney Michael Feuer alleges that TWC Product and Technology LLC (TWC), the company behind The Weather Company App, is collecting, disclosing, selling and monetizing users’...more
This post discusses some of the contractual requirements imposed by Apple and Google regarding the collection and sharing of locational information. What consents, if any, do Apple and Google require that app publishers...more
Smartphones, websites, and other connected devices (e.g., “wearables”) increasingly request that consumers provide their geo-location information. Geolocation information can refer to general information about a consumer’s...more
I have been watching several articles published by ZDNet with interest. First, ZDNet reported that “four of the largest cell giants in the US are selling your real-time location data to a company that you’ve probably never...more
If you're like millions of Americans, you use the AccuWeather app for iOS to keep up to date about whether the weekend's forecast means fun in the sun or hiding out from the rain. It turns out that AccuWeather may have been...more
Recently in United States v. InMobi Pte Ltd., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) set a new standard for geolocational tracking. The FTC told app developers and app marketers one simple rule: honor consumers location privacy...more
We have blogged previously about the steady rise of e-commerce, the benefits and challenges of creating a cohesive omnichannel experience, and some of the special issues omnichannel creates for the landlord-tenant...more
In the category of being careful with location based services when using apps, researchers at the University of California-Santa Barbara have discovered a vulnerability in the popular Waze app that permitted them to create...more