This is the best summary I could come up with:

Last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging the agency to “protect consumers and investors from the outrageous conduct” of Near, citing his office’s investigation into the India-based company.

Wyden’s investigation was spurred by a May 2023 Wall Street Journal report that Near had licensed location data to the anti-abortion group Veritas Society so it could target ads to visitors of Planned Parenthood clinics and attempt to dissuade women from seeking abortions.

Wyden’s investigation revealed that the group’s geofencing campaign focused on 600 Planned Parenthood clinics in 48 states.

The order demands that unless consumers have explicitly provided consent, the company must cease any collection, use, or transfer of location data.

Wyden wrote, “The threat posed by the sale of location data is clear, particularly to women who are seeking reproductive care.”

Near’s list of contracts included agreements with several location brokers, ad platforms, universities, retailers, and city governments.

The original article contains 683 words, the summary contains 154 words. Saved 77%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

Data brokers just shouldn’t exist.