The Rules Of Location Targeting Are Changing. What Advertisers Need To Know

TVREV says geofencing sensitive locations carries an especially clear risk, particularly when location data can reveal visits to healthcare facilities, religious organizations and other sensitive sites.[1]MediaPost reported in May that Connecticut had become the fourth state to prohibit companies from selling data that can pinpoint people's locations within a 1,750-foot radius. The other three states are Virginia, Maryland and Oregon.[2] PrivacyLawMap reports that Connecticut's ban took effect October 1, 2026[3].According to MediaPost, advertising trade groups had told Connecticut lawmakers in a March letter that the ban would "upend the balanced approach"[2] of the state's earlier privacy law.TechCrunch reported in June that Massachusetts lawmakers passed a bill that bans companies from selling their users' precise location data.[4]TVREV suggests that proximity or radius-based targeting can provide a simpler path when it uses broader geographic or household-level signals rather than precise device-level geolocation data.[1] The outlet recommends three steps: advertisers should audit how location data is being used[1], shift more location strategy toward proximity targeting[1], and build for where privacy regulation is heading.[1]For measurement, TVREV gives the example of a regional auto dealer that could use proximity targeting to reach relevant households within its trade area, then use sales matchback to connect campaign exposure to actual vehicle sales.[1]TVREV concludes that for local and streaming TV advertisers, the change is "about evolving how audiences are reached and results are measured."[1]