Your Phone Knows You’re at the Doctor, and Data Brokers Do, Too — Then Profit From It

The Federal Trade Commission told a data company it could no longer sell data it collected from hundreds of millions of Americans’ mobile devices when people visited hospitals, dialysis clinics, or abortion clinics. But little is stopping other companies from doing so. In the absence of federal protections, some states are passing their own rules.

By: Michael Scaturro

Outlets: KFF Health News

Published: October 30, 2026

Words: 1,864

Last Updated: 1 week ago

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Chris McQueen finished treatment for leukemia a year and a half ago, but the ads for fake cures never stopped.

Juice cleanses to cure cancer, “natural” cancer treatments, clinics in Mexico promising full recovery with little chemotherapy — all appeared on McQueen’s mobile phone during routine oncologist visits and monthly bloodwork.

McQueen and others have taken to social media to vent about companies known as data brokers tracking their whereabouts via their smartphones’ location data, …

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