Life360
Life360, Inc. · Location / People Tracker
Staff Reviewed — a person at DeSpy reviewed this rating.
Index
Life360 continuously logs the precise real-time location and location history of every family member on a shared 'Circle' (very often children), plus driving speed, phone battery and the places each member visits. The Markup documented that in 2020-2021 Life360 packaged this precise location data and sold it to roughly a dozen data brokers, making it one of the largest suppliers of raw location data in the industry.
Why this rating
Historically sold precise location data (-25) and disclosed it to about a dozen brokers (-15); collects sensitive precise location of children and families (-15); indefinite retention (-8) and unilateral policy changes (-5). Evidence: The Markup's 2021 investigation confirmed the data sale AND collection without adequate consent, and a credible 2023 class action followed. No direct FTC order against Life360 exists (the 2024 location-data sweep targeted its broker buyers, not Life360), so that is deliberately not cited.
What it is
- GPS / location
- Requires a cloud account
- Manufacturer
- Life360, Inc.
- Category
- Location / People Tracker
- Model years
- 2008-present
- Market status
- Current
- Companion app
- Life360
The evidence 2
Independent research, regulatory action, lawsuits and journalism about how this device handles personal data — the "what actually happens" axis. Each links to its source.
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Investigation found Life360 was selling near-real-time precise location data on kids and families to about a dozen brokers, earning roughly 20% of its 2020 revenue from the practice.
Why it matters here: Direct, primary-reporting confirmation that this exact service sold users' (largely children's) location data.
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A class action citing The Markup's reporting alleged Life360 secretly sold users' geolocation data to third parties without consent.
Why it matters here: Credible litigation over the same data-selling conduct by this service.
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Descriptive, cited, not legal advice; ratings are versioned and corrections create a new version. Data from the IoT Info Grabber DB research project, CC BY-SA 4.0.