Outlogic Stop Sales Of Sensitive Location Data After FTC Data Tracking Cases Settlement

Outlogic, halting the sale of sensitive location data (photo: dock. special)

JAKARTA - Outlogic, a Virginia-based data broker, agreed to stop selling sensitive location data that helps track people's whereabouts. This was done as part of the completion of the first Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data tracking.

The deal on Tuesday January 9 settles claims that Outlogic, formerly known as X-Mode Social, violated consumer privacy for several years by selling their data to advertisers, researchers, retailers, and government contractors without permission.

According to the FTC, Outlogic had no policy until May last year to remove doctors' offices, shelters for victims of domestic violence, reproductive health clinics, places of worship, and other sensitive locations from the raw data it sells.

Outlogic, which markets itself as the second largest location data company in the United States, also agrees to remove all sensitive location data illegally collected and stop disclosing the data unless consumers agree.

"Openly selling someone's location data to the highest bidder can result in people being abused, stigmatized, discriminated, or even physical violence," said FTC chairman Lina Khan in a statement.

"Americans deserve protection from uncontrolled corporate surveillance," he added.

The FTC says Outlogic, based in Norfolk, Virginia, usually collects data through their own apps, software on third-party apps, and purchases from aggregators.

The FTC also said that Outlogic would provide data buyers with "audience segments" for different groups such as "firehouses," the military base, and "inclusive-sized clothing stores."

"The Commission rejects the premise so common in the data broker industry that crypticly formulated disclosures can grant companies free licenses to use or sell sensitive person location data," Khan added.

The X-Mode was purchased in 2021 by Atlanta-based Digital Envoy, and is rebranded as Outlogic.

In a statement, Outlogic said "we disagree with the implications" of the FTC announcement, and said there were no findings that they were abusing location data. Outlogic also said that since its establishment in 2013, X-Mode has banned customers from "binding their data with sensitive locations such as health facilities."