FTC bans Outlogic from selling sensitive location data in landmark action

Data broker Outlogic will be subject to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) first ban on the use, sale, or disclosure of sensitive location data as part of a proposed order announced Tuesday by the agency.

Virginia-based Outlogic and its predecessor X-Mode Social were accused by the FTC of selling nonanonymized location data purchased or collected from their apps or third-party apps to hundreds of clients across a variety of industries without removing sensitive locations like medical clinics or places of worship from the raw data.

The FTC’s proposed order also includes requirements for the companies to delete all location data previously collected without consent and implement policies and procedures to better protect consumers’ personal information.