This is far from the only instance of data sharing between private location data brokers and government agencies. Reports at the beginning of the pandemic indicated that governments around the world began working with data brokers, and in the documents we obtained, Veraset said that it was already working with “a few different agencies.” But to our knowledge, these documents are the first to detail how Veraset shared raw, individually-identifiable GPS data with a government agency. They highlight the scope and sensitivity of highly-invasive location data widely available on the open market. They also demonstrate the risk of “COVID-washing,” in which data brokers might try to earn goodwill by giving away their hazardous product to public health officials during a health crisis.

Cyphers, B. (2021, November 10). Data broker Veraset gave bulk device-level GPS data to DC government. Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/11/data-broker-veraset-gave-bulk-device-level-gps-data-dc-government