The data sold would relate to "hundreds of thousands" of mobile phones.

This Monday, August 29, the US Consumer Protection Agency, the FTC, sued Kochava, a data collection company accused in particular of facilitating the identification of women who went to clinics practicing abortion.

The FTC accuses him of selling geolocation data which makes it possible to follow the movements of a person, among other things "to and from sensitive places", explained the regulator in a press release.

The FTC thus mentions clinics practicing voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion), but also places of worship, accommodation centers for the homeless or victims of domestic violence, as well as addiction treatment centers.

A danger for the individuals concerned

The data sold by Kochava does not include the identities of the owners of these smartphones.

But it is possible to find them by cross-referencing, in particular with the addresses where the mobile phones are at night and the names of the owners of these accommodations.

Phone owners are "often unaware that their geolocation data has been purchased and shared by Kochava and have no control over its sale or use."

By selling this data, Kochava allows others to “identify individuals and expose them to threats, harassment, discrimination, job loss, and even physical violence,” argues the FTC.

The issue of data protection relating to abortion

At the end of June, the Supreme Court reversed a judgment guaranteeing the protection of the right to abortion by the American Constitution.

Since then, at least 13 US states have made abortion illegal in most cases.

The protection of all data relating to abortion has thus become a major issue.

In early July, Google announced that the location data of users visiting an abortion clinic would be automatically erased.

The FTC's subpoena was filed in federal court in Idaho, where Kochava is headquartered and which is among the states that have banned abortion.

The regulator is seeking an injunction prohibiting the company from selling the data and forcing it to erase all sensitive information.

Asked by AFP, Kochava did not respond immediately.

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