NAI Updates Location Data Privacy Standards Providing Additional Clarity for Identification of Sensitive Points of Interest
Keeping with its longstanding leadership in promoting strong location data privacy practices across the digital advertising industry, the NAI is updating its Voluntary Enhanced Standards for Precise Location Information Solution Providers (Enhanced Standards). Initially released in June 2022, the Enhanced Standards prohibit the use, sale, and transfer of U.S. consumer precise location information related to sensitive points of interest (POIs). They also restrict participating companies from using, selling, or sharing any U.S. consumer precise location information for law enforcement or national security purposes, except when needed to comply with a legal requirement.
The 2024 updates to the Enhanced Standards help to clarify how nationally recognized industry classification systems, such as the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), can be used to identify sensitive POIs and comply with the Enhanced Standards, and make other clarifying changes to improve administrability of the Enhanced Standards among signatories. We believe these clarifications will help to build broader adoption as companies can more effectively operationalize the identification of sensitive POIs. To date, five NAI member companies have committed to adhere to NAI’s Enhanced Standards: Cuebiq, Foursquare, InMarket, Outlogic, and Precisely PlaceIQ.
Sensitive POIs include, but are not limited to: places of religious worship, sensitive health care treatment centers, military bases, places held out as primarily serving LGBTQ+ individuals, correctional facilities, immigration or refugee service locations, welfare or other assistance centers, and places held out as predominantly providing education or childcare services to minors.
These Enhanced Standards apply specifically to those NAI member companies that have voluntarily committed to follow them. These companies are required to participate in annual accountability reviews with the NAI staff to help ensure their adherence to the Enhanced Standards. If the NAI finds through an annual assessment that a signatory has not materially complied with the Enhanced Standards the NAI may remove the signatory from these Enhanced Standards. For more information about the standards, or to join the list of signatories, please contact NAI’s Chief Compliance Officer, Anthony Matyjaszewski.
