Observed Signal · May 4, 2026 · Legal Settlement · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 5/5 · Sentiment: Negative
FTC Bars Kochava From Selling Sensitive Location Data
The Federal Trade Commission and Kochava have reached a proposed settlement, filed May 4, 2026, that would bar Kochava and its data-broker subsidiary Collective Data Solutions from selling, licensing, transferring, sharing or disclosing sensitive location data without first obtaining a consumer’s affirmative express consent. The proposed order, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho and approved 2–0 by the Commission, would also limit use of such data to services directly requested by the consumer. The settlement requires Kochava to create a program to identify and manage sensitive locations, vet data suppliers for consent, report certain violations to the FTC, provide consumers with recipient lists of shared precise-location data, and delete precise-location data on a set schedule. The action resolves litigation that began in 2022 after the FTC alleged sales of precise location data tied to visits to sensitive sites.
An FTC-enforced settlement imposes new consent and operational requirements on a major location-data broker, setting legal and compliance precedent that will affect data-broker practices, supplier vetting, consumer rights and the location-data marketplace.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- On May 4, 2026 the FTC filed a proposed order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho settling charges against Kochava.
- The order would bar Kochava and its subsidiary Collective Data Solutions from selling, licensing, transferring, sharing or disclosing sensitive location data without obtaining consumers' affirmative express consent and restrict use to consumer-requested services.
- The Federal Trade Commission voted 2 to 0 in favor of the settlement.
- The settlement requires Kochava to establish a program to identify and manage sensitive locations, vet data suppliers for consent, report certain violations to the FTC, disclose the names of entities that received precise-location data upon consumer request, and delete precise-location data on a set schedule.
- The FTC originally sued Kochava in 2022 alleging it sold precise location data tied to visits to sensitive locations; a 2023 district-court dismissal of the FTC's first complaint was without prejudice and the agency refiled in June 2023.
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