FTC goes after three data brokers with enforcement actions | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The FTC has charged Gravy Analytics, Venntel, and Mobilewalla with unlawfully tracking and selling sensitive consumer location data\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ftc-data-broker-action-gravy-analytics-venntel-mobilewalla\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FTC goes after three data brokers with enforcement actions\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The FTC has charged Gravy Analytics, Venntel, and Mobilewalla with unlawfully tracking and selling sensitive consumer location data\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ftc-data-broker-action-gravy-analytics-venntel-mobilewalla\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-03T18:55:41+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-03T18:55:44+00:00\"> <meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg\"> <meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"5184\"> <meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2916\"> <meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Otto\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"> <meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gregotto\">  <link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\">\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/use.typekit.net\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/feed\/\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/comments\/feed\/\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/block-library\/style.min.css?m=1732206022g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/search\/elasticpress\/dist\/css\/related-posts-block-styles.min.css?m=1733250499g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-8\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/themes\/scoopnewsgroup\/dist\/css\/frontend.css?m=1732010462g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"typekit-css\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/itk2qbh.css?ver=ddc036fa194c40cf406f\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/\"><link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"JSON\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82792\"><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\">\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.7.1\">\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=82792\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (JSON)\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fftc-data-broker-action-gravy-analytics-venntel-mobilewalla%2F\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (XML)\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fftc-data-broker-action-gravy-analytics-venntel-mobilewalla%2F&format=xml\">   <link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=32\" sizes=\"32x32\">\n<link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=192\" sizes=\"192x192\">\n<link rel=\"apple-touch-icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=180\">\n<meta name=\"msapplication-TileImage\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-82792 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ftc-data-broker-action-gravy-analytics-venntel-mobilewalla\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.490825688073\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"36.487562189055\">\n<p> The FTC has accused three data brokers, including Gravy Analytics and Venntel, of illegally tracking and selling non-anonymized consumer location data. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/82792\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg 5184w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=300,168 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=600,337 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-2.jpg?resize=1500,843 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption> FTC building (John Taylor\/Flickr) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"27.770028275212\"><body readability=\"55.951386251424\"><\/p>\n<p>The Federal Trade Commission took action against three data brokers Tuesday, alleging the companies unlawfully tracked and sold sensitive consumer location data, including information that related to people\u2019s visits to health care facilities and places of worship.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/12\/ftc-takes-action-against-gravy-analytics-venntel-unlawfully-selling-location-data-tracking-consumers\">The FTC\u2019s complaint<\/a> accuses Virginia-based Gravy Analytics and its subsidiary Venntel of violating the FTC Act by allegedly obtaining consumer location information from other data suppliers and claiming to collect, process, and curate more than 17 billion signals from around a billion mobile devices daily. The location data the companies sold can be used to identify consumers and is not anonymized, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>Gravy Analytics also reportedly used geofencing technology to identify and sell lists of consumers based on sensitive personal characteristics such as health conditions, political activities, and religious viewpoints. <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the FTC accused<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/12\/ftc-takes-action-against-mobilewalla-collecting-selling-sensitive-location-data\"> Georgia-based Mobilewalla<\/a> of selling sensitive data that could reveal the location of a person\u2019s home, along with using location data to create targeted advertising segments, including a June 2020 report analyzing George Floyd protesters\u2019 racial backgrounds and city of residence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSurreptitious surveillance by data brokers undermines our civil liberties and puts servicemembers, union workers, religious minorities, and others at risk,\u201d said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC\u2019s Bureau of Consumer Protection.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The FTC order also says Mobilewalla, Gravy Analytics and Venntel won\u2019t be allowed to sell or share any sensitive location data unless it\u2019s for national security or law enforcement reasons. They also need to create a program to identify and protect sensitive places, including:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hospitals and medical centers<\/li>\n<li>Places of worship<\/li>\n<li>Prisons or jails<\/li>\n<li>Labor union offices<\/li>\n<li>Schools or childcare centers<\/li>\n<li>Services that help people based on race or ethnicity<\/li>\n<li>Shelters for the homeless, abuse victims, refugees, or immigrants<\/li>\n<li>Military bases<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This current enforcement action marks the FTC\u2019s fifth move this year to address the mishandling of location data, underscored by past actions against similar companies like <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ftc-sues-data-broker-location-data-abortion-clinic\/\">Kochava<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/04\/ftc-finalizes-order-x-mode-successor-outlogic-prohibiting-it-sharing-or-selling-sensitive-location\">X-Mode<\/a> for similar infractions.<\/p>\n<p>The settlements come amid broader federal efforts, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cfpb-data-broker-regulation-fcra-privacy-protection\/\">recent proposal to prevent brokers<\/a> from selling sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla have yet to comment on the settlements, but the FTC is opening the agreements to public comment for 30 days before finalization. <\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"4.155737704918\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Greg Otto\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Greg Otto<\/h4>\n<p> Greg Otto is Editor-in-Chief of CyberScoop, overseeing all editorial content for the website. Greg has led cybersecurity coverage that has won various awards, including accolades from the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Prior to joining Scoop News Group, Greg worked for the Washington Business Journal, U.S. News & World Report and WTOP Radio. He has a degree in broadcast journalism from Temple University. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 class=\"popular-stories__title\"> More Scoops <\/h2>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/ftc-data-broker-action-gravy-analytics-venntel-mobilewalla\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FTC goes after three data brokers with enforcement actions |<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,771,458,117,268],"tags":[86,772,460,119,274],"class_list":["post-6476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cybersecurity","category-data-brokers","category-federal-trade-commission-ftc","category-government","category-privacy","tag-cybersecurity","tag-data-brokers","tag-federal-trade-commission-ftc","tag-government","tag-privacy"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybersecurity\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Cybersecurity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/data-brokers\/\" rel=\"category tag\">data brokers<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/federal-trade-commission-ftc\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Federal Trade Commission (FTC)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/government\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Government<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/privacy\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Privacy<\/a>","tag_info":"Privacy","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6476\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":6476,"date":"2024-12-03T12:55:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=82792"},"modified":"2024-12-03T12:55:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:55:41","slug":"ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/12\/03\/ftc-goes-after-three-data-brokers-with-enforcement-actions\/","title":{"rendered":"FTC goes after three data brokers with enforcement actions"},"content":{"rendered":"