Digital Envoy, Inc. × X-Mode Social, Inc.
Digital Envoy, an IP intelligence firm, acquired location data broker X-Mode Social, Inc., which was subsequently rebranded as Outlogic. [51, 52] The deal's financial terms were not disclosed. [51] The acquisition was intended to provide Digital Envoy with a high-quality, consent-based location data panel to enhance its fraud prevention and other solutions. [51] The seller's data collection practices later came under FTC scrutiny, resulting in a 2024 order prohibiting the sale of sensitive location data without affirmative consent. [83, 90]
The asset
A provider of location data collected from mobile devices for the financial, cyber security, real estate and advertising industries. [51]
The record
- Seller status
- Going concern
- Sector
- Location data provider
- Modalities
- geolocation data
- Jurisdiction
- US
- Personal data
- The seller, X-Mode (rebranded as Outlogic), collected precise geolocation data from mobile devices via an SDK embedded in third-party apps. [84] Following the acquisition, Digital Envoy instituted a new code of ethics, created a data ethics review panel, and stopped selling U.S. location data to defense contractors. [51] In a 2024 settlement with the FTC, Outlogic was prohibited from selling sensitive location data and required to destroy previously collected location data unless explicit consumer consent is obtained. [76, 83]
What it means if you hold data
This acquisition demonstrates the value of mobile-derived location data panels to established data players, even with the increasing regulatory and privacy-related risks. The subsequent FTC action against the acquired entity highlights the compliance liabilities that can accompany such data assets. [76, 90]