Lawmakers Seek Limits on Location Data Use
Looks like Wednesday was location privacy day on Capitol Hill.
Two bills introduced in the House and Senate would limit how the government and private companies can use information about your location, the latest signs of growing concern among lawmakers. The bills are among multiple efforts in Washington to update digital-privacy laws, particularly as they relate to location.
One bill, by Democratic Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, would require companies like Apple and Google, as well as the makers of applications that run on their devices, to get a user’s consent before sharing information with outsiders about the location of a mobile device.
At a hearing last month, Franken said he had “serious doubts” that cellphone users’ privacy was being protected. He convened the hearing after security researchers and The Wall Street Journal disclosed how iPhones and Android devices leave trails of electronic breadcrumbs revealing where they’ve been. The Journal also reported last year that 47 of 101 popular smartphone apps transmitted location data to outside companies without users’ knowledge.
