The $434 Billion Industry That Knows Where You Sleep
The US data broker industry is a $200+ billion economy selling everything from your home address to your health conditions. A data privacy investigation with opsec guidance for consumer cybersecurity.
The scale
The global data broker market is worth $434 billion as of 2025, projected to reach $617 billion by 2030. This isn't a niche industry. it's larger than the entire global cybersecurity market.
Data brokers collect, aggregate, and sell personal information. They know where you live, where you work, where you shop, who you associate with, what your political views are, what medications you take, and where you were last Tuesday at 3:47 PM.
How they get your location
Your phone's GPS coordinates are collected through:
- Advertising SDKs embedded in free apps (weather, games, flashlight apps)
- Bidstream data. when an ad loads on your phone, your location is broadcast to hundreds of ad exchanges in real time
- Carrier data. some carriers sell aggregated location data directly
- Wi-Fi probe requests. Your phone broadcasts a unique identifier when searching for networks
This data is collected continuously, aggregated by broker companies, and sold to anyone willing to pay.
Who buys it
- FBI, ICE, and DOD. purchase location data from brokers to bypass Fourth Amendment warrant requirements
- Marketers. target ads based on where you've been (visited a car dealership? Here come auto loan ads)
- Insurance companies. assess risk based on where you go and how you drive
- Hedge funds. count cars in parking lots to predict quarterly earnings
- Private investigators. track individuals for $10-50 per lookup
- Foreign governments. The same data is available to anyone
The FTC is trying
In January 2025, the FTC issued final orders against Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla, banning them from selling sensitive location data. visits to LGBTQ+ venues, protests, religious sites, domestic violence shelters, and reproductive health clinics.
California's AG launched an "investigative sweep" into the location data industry in March 2025. But enforcement across the other thousands of data broker companies is practically nonexistent.
What you can do
- Disable ad tracking: iOS Settings → Privacy → Tracking → disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track"
- Limit location access: Only grant location permission to apps that genuinely need it, and choose "While Using" not "Always"
- Use a DNS-level ad blocker: NextDNS or Pi-hole blocks most advertising SDKs from phoning home
- Opt out directly: Services like DeleteMe ($129/year) submit removal requests to major data brokers on your behalf
- Review app permissions regularly: Many apps request location access they don't need
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