1.6 billion device profiles. Near Intelligence tracked almost every smartphone on Earth. Then went bankrupt. The FTC had found they sold "anonymised" data that could still identify individuals. Bankruptcy means the assets get sold to the highest bidder. The asset is 1.6 billion people's location histories. Who bought it? Where did it go? Nobody is sure.
What they claim: Near Intelligence described itself as the world's largest dataset of people's behaviour in the real world
What we found: Near Intelligence tracked 1.6 billion devices across 44 countries, selling location data to the US Department of Defence, hedge funds, and real estate companies. The FTC found Near sold data it promised to anonymise that could still identify individuals. In 2023, Near filed for bankruptcy. The company's primary asset — 1.6 billion device profiles — was potentially available for purchase by any buyer in bankruptcy proceedings.