Tell the FTC: Protect our location data from anti-abortion groups!
The petition to the Federal Trade Commission reads:
“FTC: Intervene in the bankruptcy case of Near Intelligence and stop the selling of our location data.”
Why is this important?
Anti-abortion groups used the location data of people who visited 600 Planned Parenthood clinics across 48 states and targeted them with anti-abortion ads.1
While this is extremely alarming, it’s not surprising. But now we have a unique opportunity to prevent Near Intelligence, the company that’s been gathering and selling our location data, from ever doing so again.2 We need your help to force the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to intervene on our behalf and prevent this data broker from being able to sell our location data.
Tell the FTC to intervene in the Near bankruptcy case and protect our data.
Every day, companies buy and sell detailed location data from apps on our cellphones, revealing where we live, work, seek health care, and more. And anyone can buy this data--anti-abortion extremists, domestic abusers, foreign governments, employers--and use it to harm us.3
That’s why it’s important that the FTC intervene immediately to prevent Near from selling off the location data of unsuspecting Americans. Fortunately, this is not the FTC’s first time intervening in a bankruptcy case to prevent the sale of precious data.
In 2010, the agency intervened in the bankruptcy of a now-defunct magazine to prevent the selling of subscribers’ data.4 With your help, we can push them to intervene on our behalf again.
Sign the petition to demand that the FTC intervene and prevent the selling of our location data now!
Sources:
1. A company tracked visits to 600 Planned Parenthood locations for anti-abortion ads, senator says, Politico, February 13, 2024
2. Ibid
3. Data Broker Is Selling Location Data of People Who Visit Abortion Clinics, Vice, May 3, 2022
4. Senator Ron Wyden's letter to the FTC, Accessed February 22, 2024