On August 29, 2022, the US Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against Kochava Inc, a data broker based in Idaho, alleging that the company’s business practices violated the prohibition against unfair or deceptive acts or practices embodied in Section 5(a) of the FTC Act, 15 USC § 45(a).
Kochava’s principal business activity is the collection and sale of geolocation data from consumers’ mobile devices. The data, which is offered for sale by subscription and – until June 2022 — in free, limited sample sets, includes timestamped latitude and longitude coordinates that identify individual devices by their unique Mobile Advertising IDs. The FTC alleges that Kochava’s data may reveal individuals’ visits to sensitive locations such as medical facilities, religious institutions, addiction recovery centers , and reproductive health providers, potentially causing substantial injury to consumers.
The complaint seeks a permanent injunction from future violations of the FTC Act, and other relief as appropriate.