Your Phone Knows You’re at the Doctor, and Data Brokers Do, Too — Then Profit From It The sensitive information is used for targeted ads, often touting unproven treatments. By Michael Scaturro Illustration by Oona Zenda Oct. 30, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/data-brokers-phone-location-tracking-sensitive-medical-data-targeted-ads/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8SnxVpJvLtZMUEK8wCJqXUgpiYuqHNxZSbOGwHZa0jKGF48LcYikqy-U0wrcix0HhTQ-5BaE9EnXBz_9jMJUg4FaSEJQ&_hsmi=446704312&utm_content=446704312&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Your Phone Knows You’re At The Doctor, And Data Brokers Do, Too — Then Profit From It 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, connecting it with other data gathered about them, and then drawing inferences about their health struggles to sell to companies hawking unproven treatments. (Scaturro, 10/30)