A coalition of privacy and civil rights organizations filed a complaint Wednesday with Maryland’s attorney general, alleging that several commercial data brokers are violating the state’s data privacy laws by collecting and selling geolocation information about Maryland residents. The complaint specifically targets companies including Penlink, Thomson Reuters, Motorola, Insight LPR, LexisNexis, and Flock Safety, claiming they collect and distribute personal and location data without proper authorization.
According to the complaint, some of these companies provide data to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and related agencies, enabling surveillance operations used in immigration enforcement and deportation activities. Penlink markets cell phone location data through its Webloc program, while other named companies sell vehicle location information captured by license plate readers. The complaint also identifies ThunderCat Technology as providing individual taxpayer identification numbers to Homeland Security Investigations.
Two of the named companies disputed the allegations. Thomson Reuters stated it complies with all applicable laws and characterized its license plate recognition product as providing only randomly collected images rather than real-time vehicle tracking. Penlink similarly denied violating state law, asserting that it does not process or sell precise location data in accordance with Maryland regulations. Other companies either did not respond to requests for comment or provided automated responses.
Maryland has established some of the nation’s strictest data privacy protections, including the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, which passed in 2024 and was updated during the most recent legislative session with provisions taking effect last month. Under current state law, data brokers are prohibited from collecting or sharing residents’ sensitive data, including location information, except to deliver requested products or services or in response to certain law enforcement demands. The complaint urges Attorney General Anthony G. Brown to enforce these protections and investigate the accused companies.
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