📍FTC Forces Data Broker to Delete Years of Stalking Information on Americans
Civil Rights
Technology
Constitutional Law
The Federal Trade Commission finalized an order permanently banning data broker Mobilewalla from selling precise GPS location data, requiring the company to delete all previously collected location information from sensitive sites including reproductive health clinics, places of worship, and domestic violence shelters. This follows similar FTC actions against other data brokers.
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Key Takeaways
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Why This Matters
Your phone was secretly tracking your most private moments:
Mobilewalla collected visits to abortion clinics, therapy sessions, AA meetings, and places of worship, then sold this information to political campaigns, insurance companies, and law enforcement without your knowledge or consent
Law enforcement bypassed warrant requirements through private data purchases:
Police departments and federal agencies bought location data from Mobilewalla to track people without obtaining warrants, avoiding Fourth Amendment protections by purchasing surveillance information from private companies
The surveillance economy particularly targets vulnerable people:
Data brokers specifically monetize visits to reproductive health facilities, immigration services, and mental health providers, creating digital profiles that can be used for discrimination, harassment, or prosecution
This enforcement action requires data deletion, not just fines:
Unlike previous settlements that let companies keep illegally obtained data while paying modest penalties, the FTC now requires complete destruction of surveillance archives
Hundreds of other data brokers continue similar operations:
Mobilewalla represents one company in a $200 billion industry that tracks American movements—this single enforcement action addresses a small fraction of the broader surveillance economy
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Detailed Content
1
What type of data is Mobilewalla permanently banned from selling?
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Which previous data brokers faced similar FTC enforcement actions?
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How large is the data broker industry that Mobilewalla represents?
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What sensitive locations did Mobilewalla track people visiting?
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How did law enforcement agencies use Mobilewalla's location data?
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What business model allowed Mobilewalla to profit from tracking people?
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How many other data brokers continue operating despite this Mobilewalla ban?
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What congressional legislation could address the broader data broker industry?
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How does the FTC's approach to data brokers appear to be evolving?
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How can individuals protect their location privacy from data brokers?
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How does location tracking at abortion clinics threaten reproductive freedom?
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Why is location data considered more sensitive than other personal information?
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This FTC order only fines Mobilewalla without requiring data deletion.
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Most Americans are aware that data brokers track and sell their location information.
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