Senator Ron Wyden has raised serious concerns about Near Intelligence’s involvement in an anti-abortion ad campaign that targeted individuals using their location data. The Veritas Society, backed by the Wisconsin Right to Life, employed Recrue Media to run the campaign from 2019 to 2022. The controversial strategy involved using Near’s location data services to deliver over 14 million ads to individuals who had visited abortion clinics. Wyden, in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, highlights Near Intelligence’s track record as a “”scandal-plagued location data broker,”” and calls for an investigation into the potential privacy violations.
The Veritas Society’s campaign utilized geofencing, a digital advertising technology, to identify devices within Planned Parenthood clinics. The collected device IDs were then used to target individuals on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. The ads, often interactive, redirected users to a Veritas Society site offering options like “”I want to undo the abortion pill”” or “”I am thinking about the abortion pill.”” This controversial use of geolocation data not only raises ethical concerns but also prompts Senator Wyden to call for the Federal Trade Commission’s intervention to ensure the prompt deletion of all location and device data acquired by Near Intelligence and to prevent any further sale or sharing of such sensitive information.
Furthermore, Senator Wyden urges the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate Near Intelligence for potential securities fraud, questioning the accuracy of information provided to investors. The letter underscores the need for regulatory scrutiny to protect individuals’ privacy and prevent the exploitation of location data for targeted advertising campaigns, particularly in sensitive and controversial domains like reproductive health. This incident highlights the broader challenges associated with the use of advanced technologies in digital advertising and the potential implications for individuals’ privacy and data security.
