The Federal Trade Commission has imposed a record $150 million fine on Gravy Analytics for selling precise location data harvested from mobile apps without meaningful consumer consent, marking the largest privacy enforcement action against a data broker.
What Gravy Analytics Did
The FTC's investigation revealed that Gravy Analytics collected GPS-level location data from over 100 million Americans through SDK partnerships embedded in popular mobile applications.
- Data was collected through 3,400 popular apps including weather, gaming, and prayer apps
- Location histories were sold to advertisers, hedge funds, and government agencies
- Data granularity allowed tracking individuals to specific buildings and rooms
- Consent was buried in 40-page privacy policies that referenced data sharing in general terms
Regulatory Signal
The fine signals the FTC's aggressive posture toward the $250 billion data broker industry. Consumer advocates are calling it a watershed moment, while the data broker industry warns that the enforcement theory could disrupt the entire digital advertising ecosystem.
